Lineup decisions being made by front office not John Russell

Off-day Notes

*The Pittsburgh Pirates lost their 8th straight game on Sunday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers. The Pirates are now a season high 17 games under .500 and hot topic of discussion is John Russell’s future

In the final year of his contract, Russell has no long-term security but for now he is believed to be safe as the Pirates begin a 6 game homestand Tuesday night.

Questionable lineup decisions have been made of late such as playing Ryan Doumit at first base and sitting Jose Tabata so he wouldn’t face Justin Verlander.

Russell has an input on lineup decisions but those type of decisions along with previous decisions of keeping Jeff Clement and Charlie Morton in the lineup are coming from the front office. The front office not the manager makes the final call on lineup decisions, on what some say is a daily basis.

Interleague Play

The Pirates begin a six game interleague homestand Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox. The Pirates were 8-7 in interleague play last season and have posted a 48-47 career record at home in interleague play.

Struggles for Ryan Church Continue

Ryan Church was 0-for-4 in Sunday’s loss and is batting .186 on the season. After a quick start in April, Church is batting .098 since May 5th with a .198 struggling percentage.

Pirates rank 30th in runs scored

Offensively the Pirates rank 30th in the majors in runs scored with 204 and 29th in team batting average (.237).