On Tuesday night, Pirates left fielder Starling Marte hit a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was his first home run since July 1. He batted .279 between his home runs and hit .217 [10-for-46] this month prior to the homer.
Following Wednesday night’s Pirates victory, Marte discussed his injured hand and acknowledged the difficulties that it has caused.
“I’ve been hurt on my hand,” Marte said. “It’s hard to hit, but I’m just trying to be ready.”
Marte has had his share of injuries and has been battling consistency issues this season.
He played in each game in April, but he was removed from a game for the first time on the 22nd against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning due to his injured hand. Marte served as a defensive replacement the next day.
Marte was out of the starting lineup June 2 which was the second time this season and a June 25 was the third occasion. On July 5, Marte left the game in the bottom of the fourth inning with discomfort on his left side. He would miss five games.
Marte would suffer another hand injury Aug. 12 against the St. Louis Cardinals in the bottom of the third inning. He would not start in the next three games, though he did serve as a defensive replacement.
Though the power has been lacking of late, Marte is doing his best to embrace and overcome the pain while helping to contribute for his team. Marte got two hits in Wednesday’s game and expressed that he was comfortable at the plate.
“When you play, you forget everything, and you just play the game,” he said.
Photo credit: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images
