Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Thriving with regular playing time
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Marcano went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored Friday against the Cardinals.
Marcano started his 12th consecutive game against right-handed pitching, all of which have come at shortstop. He's also jumped to the leadoff spot in three of his last four appearances after hitting primarily sixth in the order to start the season. Marcano has maintained a .275/.310/.575 line across his last 40 at-bats while also tallying seven RBI, five runs scored and three stolen bases.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Idle Wednesday
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Marcano is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Chris Owings will pick up the start at shortstop in the series finale, but Marcano still appears fairly secure as the Pirates' top option at the position. Unless he makes a pinch-hitting appearance off the bench Wednesday, Marcano will finish May with a solid .271/.317/.525 slash line to go with three home runs and two stolen bases over 22 games.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Getting look in leadoff spot
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Marcano went 3-for-4 with two doubles Monday against the Giants.
Marcano hit atop the Pirates order for the second consecutive game against a right-handed pitcher and has now gone 4-for-8 in that small sample. It's unclear if he'll continue to have a chance in the role as the team has cycled through a number of different options in recent weeks. Marcano has taken over the strong-side platoon role at shortstop and seized the opportunity by generating three multi-hit games in his last five starts.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Takes seat versus lefty
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Marcano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners.
Marcano will give way to platoon mate Chris Owings at shortstop while the Pirates stock up on extra right-handed bats to counter Mariners southpaw Marco Gonzales. Over his past seven games, Marcano has been one of the better-performing hitters in a struggling Pittsburgh lineup; he's gone 7-for-25 with a pair of home runs, three doubles, two stolen bases, seven RBI and four runs over that stretch.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Homer and steal in win
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Marcano went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, a double and a stolen base in Friday's 11-6 win over the Mariners.
For the second time in his last three games, Marcano flexed both power and speed with a homer and a steal. The 23-year-old is batting .261 (12-for-46) in May, right in line with his .266 average for the season. He's added an .809 OPS, three homers, three steals, 10 RBI, 11 runs scored, five doubles and a triple through 91 plate appearances. Marcano should remain in the mix as a strong-side platoon option at shortstop, sharing the position with righty-hitting Chris Owings.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Hits go-ahead grand slam in win
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Marcano went 2-for-3 with a walk, a grand slam and one steal in Monday's 6-4 victory over the Rangers.
Marcano singled in the fourth and proceeded to steal second, marking his second swipe of the year, but he was stranded to end the inning. He walked in his next at-bat and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh to stake the Pirates to a 6-1 lead. Marcano has done an admirable job filling in for Oneil Cruz (ankle), but the former's overall numbers are less than spectacular. However, he's picked up his offensive game of late and is slashing .321/.367/.607 with four extra-base hits and seven RBI over his past 11 games (28 at-bats).
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Sitting versus southpaw
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Marcano is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest with the Rangers.
Marcano will head to the bench as the Pirates take on southpaw Martin Perez on Wednesday. Chris Owings with draw the start at shortstop and bat ninth in the series finale with Texas.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Sitting versus lefty
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Marcano is not in the starting lineup Wednesday versus the Tigers.
Marcano will take a seat as the Pirates take on left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez. Chris Owings will draw the start at shortstop and bat eighth in the series finale with Detroit.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Another start Friday
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Marcano will start at shortstop and bat seventh Friday against the Orioles, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
This marks three straight starts for Marcano, alternating between short and second base. He hit his first homer of the year in Wednesday's series finale against the Rockies and the Pirates will ride the hot hand Friday in Baltimore. Ji Hwan Bae is at second and Rodolfo Castro is on the bench.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Slugs first homer
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Marcano went 1-for-2 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Rockies.
Marcano has been used primarily as the Pirates' shortstop in the last week, but he drew a start at second base Wednesday. He took Antonio Senzatela yard in the second inning to tally his first homer of the season and only his fourth extra-base hit across 58 plate appearances. Marcano's defensive versatility will give him the chance to earn steady playing time, and he's now hitting .245 with seven runs scored and three RBI on the season.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Sits after three straight starts
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Marcano is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Marcano had started in each of the previous three games while going 1-for-9 with a run scored, but he still looks to be stuck in a utility role. Assuming the ankle injury that has kept Ji Hwan Bae out of the lineup for two straight games isn't an issue coming out of Monday's off day, he and Rodolfo Castro should form the Pirates' preferred middle-infield tandem for the forseeable future.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: In leadoff spot Thursday
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Marcano is starting at shortstop and batting leadoff Thursday against the Rays, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
This is Marcano's second turn at leadoff in the last week. Ke'Bryan Hayes, who continues to struggle offensively, is hitting seventh for Pittsburgh in Thursday's matinee. Rodolfo Castro is on the bench.
Marcano is starting at second base and hitting leadoff Thursday versus the Dodgers, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Ke'Bryan Hayes has largely settled into the leadoff role for the Pirates in the wake of Oneil Cruz's ankle fracture, but Hayes will get the day off Thursday. Marcano boasts an .851 OPS in 24 plate appearances since his April 15 promotion to the majors and has now started four of the last five games at second base for Pittsburgh.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Draws third straight start
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Marcano will start at second base and bat second in Tuesday's game against the Dodgers.
Marcano is making his third consecutive start at the keystone after he went 3-for-7 with a double in the final two contests of the Pirates' series with the Reds this past weekend. With Bryan Reynolds (personal) on the bereavement list and set to miss a second straight game Tuesday, Ji Hwan Bae has moved to the outfield, which has opened up second base for Marcano. Once Reynolds is reinstated, Marcano is a likely candidate to move back into a utility role and see his opportunities take a hit.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Recalled from Triple-A
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Marcano was recalled Saturday from Triple-A Indianapolis.
He'll replace Ji-Man Choi, who has landed on the injured list with a strain of his left Achilles tendon. Marcano, 23, is a career .201/.261/.284 hitter in 227 plate appearances at the major-league level.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Optioned to Triple-A
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Marcano was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis by the Pirates on Friday.
Marcano has had a rough spring, going just 4-for-27 at the plate -- although that wasn't noticeably worse than the other competitors for the starting job at second base. He still has some upside left at just 23 but has really struggled during his time at the major-league level.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Recalled from Triple-A
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Marcano was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
After being sent down in mid-September, Marcano closed the Triple-A season with a .596 OPS over 48 plate appearances. Now, with two games left in the season, the Pirates will bring on the 23-year-old infielder to close their season as well. Jose Godoy was optioned to Indianapolis in a corresponding move.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Marcano was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.
Marcano played regularly for most of August, but he started just three of the Pirates' first 10 games in September amid an extended slump at the plate, and he ultimately lost out on a spot on the big-league roster. With three weeks to go, there is a chance Marcano could be recalled before the campaign comes to a close.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: Losing playing time
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Marcano is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
Marcano is mired in a 4-for-33 slump and finds himself on the bench for the fourth time in Pittsburgh last six games. Jack Suwinski and Cal Mitchell have settled into the starting roles in left and right field, respectively.
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Pirates' Tucupita Marcano: On bench for nightcap
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Marcano isn't starting the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Mets.
Marcano is resting after he went 0-for-4 with a strikeout during the first game of the twin bill. Jack Suwinski will start in left field and bat sixth.
