Nick

Gonzales

This would have been a better night in any other ballpark. His first at-bat saw him hit a ball 382 feet to left that was caught by José Fermin at the wall. It was a homer in 29 ballparks, according to Statcast, but not at PNC.

Gonzales is 0-for-12 lifetime against Andre Pallante, so he’s taking a seat in favor of Jacob Gonzalez tonight. Gonzales, who has been in the running for the NL batting title, is 2-for-14 in his last five games, dropping his average to .302. That puts him behind Luis Arraez (.313), Gabriel Moreno (.307) and Otto Lopez (.305).

Even though Gonzales is in the hunt for a batting title and has been quite a bit better against righties (.324/.385/.425) than lefties (.262/.330/.323), he had been held out of the starting lineup in two of the Pirates’ previous three games against righties, as things have gotten more crowded with Konnor Griffin and Ryan O’Hearn back. Gonzales is, though, getting a nod over Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez tonight. It’s the first time since July 7, which was a few days before Gonzalez was acquired from the White Sox, that the Pirates haven’t included one of Triolo or Gonzalez in the lineup.

Gonzales’s double to right would have been a three-run homer in 23 ballparks and likely a two-run double in six of the remaining seven. In Wrigley, though, the ball got stuck in the ivy, preventing Rafael Flores Jr. from scoring the go-ahead run. Fortunately, Brandon Lowe followed with a two-run single off the bench, giving the Pirates a 4-2 lead. It was Gonzales’s 26th double of the year. He’s still in the running for a batting title. At .304, he trails only Luis Arraez (.313) and Otto Lopez (.309) in the NL.

Lowe will take a seat with left-hander Matthew Boyd toeing the slab for the Cubs. Spencer Horwitz will also get the same treatment. Nick Gonzales will cover second base in his absence and will bat fifth for the Pirates on Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Lowe will take a seat in this one with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi taking the mound for the Angels. Nick Gonzales will cover second base and will bat fifth for the Pirates on Saturday evening in Pittsburgh.

The 27-year-old infielder has been struggling a bit at the plate recently, hitting .243/.347/.313 with zero homers, eight RBI and a 14/9 K/BB ratio over 95 plate appearances in the month of August. Nick Yorke will start at third base for the Pirates on Sunday and will bat ninth against Cardinals’ southpaw Matthew Liberatore.

Gonzales’s hit resulted in only run in the three extra innings. There were three bunts, though, none of which worked out. The first two, from the Padres, were both popped up and the initial one resulted in a double play. The last, from the Pirates after Gonzales’s go-ahead hit, saw the lead runner get retired. Gonzales also walked and stole a base in the contest. He’s fourth in the majors with his .308 average.

Gonzales is in the cleanup spot today. He’s playing second because Brandon Lowe is getting a partial day off as a designated hitter. Nick Yorke is starting at third in Gonzales’s usual spot.

Gonzales was removed from Friday’s game after being hit on the helmet by a pitch. He passed through the concussion protocol but was held out of action on Saturday as a precautionary measure and will get an extra day on Sunday as well. He’s expected to be available off the bench if needed.