Shane Victorino is giving up on switch-hitting again

Shane Victorino has hit exclusively from the right side for the past six weeks, so it was a bit of a surprise to see him bat left-handed against Anibal Sanchez in Game 5 of the ALCS on Thursday night. However, after going 0-for-3 against Sanchez, he flipped back to the right side against relievers Jose Veras and Al Alburquerque. And from what he told Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, he’s not planning to change things up as the postseason continues.

“I thought I’d give it a try, but it wasn’t what I expected,’' Victorino said. “It just wasn’t there. I saw the ball well, but I just wasn’t comfortable with the swing and the whole approach. I felt as if I was trying to rush to get to everything. It’s hard to change, especially since I hadn’t done it for two months.’'

Victorino originally abandoned hitting left-handed following a hamstring injury in early August. Prior to Thursday’s game, his last at-bat from the left side was on September 3. The 32-year-old is hitting just .229 (8-for-35) with one extra-base hit and 12 strikeouts this postseason, so the urge to try something different is understandable, but it’s a little late for experimenting. Hey, at least he continues to have a knack for getting hit by pitches.

Follow @djshort