Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Brandon Inge missed the first 19 games of the 2013 Major League Baseball season with a fractured shoulder blade. However, Inge is making up for lost time as he has played a big part in Pittsburgh’s two wins since his season debut.
Inge is 2-for-5 with two very big RBI in two games with the Pirates. The first RBI occurred on Tuesday in a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Inge’s double knocked in the first run of the game in the top of the fourth inning. The second RBI came a day later in which his single scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. Pittsburgh went on to win the game 5-3.
For Inge to record two RBI in his first two days back was huge. For people that have not been following the Pirates this season, the team has struggled to deliver with runners in scoring position. In fact, Pittsburgh went 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in Tuesday’s win. However, Inge is a fresh face who is determined to play well for his new team when given the opportunity.
“It’s good for everybody in here,” manager Clint Hurdle said after the 2-0 win, according to Pirates.com. “It’s good for all of us. He gets off a plane at 2:45, comes to the ballpark and makes a couple of plays on defense and barrels a ball. As we talked before, some matchups on left-handers and some other things may be available [for Inge]. Maybe the barrel can show up on occasion and give you a shot in the arm.”
Inge has made some good plays on defense in his first two games of the season as well, including being a part of two double plays. He will be a good addition in that department considering he is capable of playing every single defensive position on the field, including catcher.
Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
