Pirates hitting coach Jeff Branson put two batting tees atop home plate at PNC Park Saturday afternoon. He placed a ball on each. As Gregory Polanco began his swing, Branson would tell Polanco which ball to hit, inside or outside.
“He told me so late, I have to be short to be able to hit both pitches,” Polanco said.
And that’s the point.
Polanco pummeled opposing pitchers for the first two weeks of the season. He has struggled since. May has been kinder to him, with two two-hit games this week and a hit in seven of nine games in the month, but since hitting two home runs April 12, after which his on-base percentage was .