'A good learning experience': After benching, Pirates star Oneil Cruz blasts out of his funk

Oneil Cruz endured a week in which he was benched for his lack of effort and energy and dropped down from the leadoff spot into the middle of the batting order in hopes he would find his way out of a funk.

The Pittsburgh Pirates even held him out of the starting lineup for the series opener against the New York Mets rather than risk Cruz continuing his scuffles against left-handed pitching.

Just when it looked like Cruz would hit rock bottom, he hit a rocket.

The 6-foot-7, 240-pounder crushed a first-pitch cutter from Frankie Montas in the first inning Sunday afternoon, a line drive at a 112.1 mph exit velocity that sailed 398 feet to right field at PNC Park for his 14th home run. Cruz added another two-run blast in the seventh inning of the 12-1 win, his second multi-homer game of the season.

“For sure, my aggressiveness was a lot better today at the plate,” Cruz said through interpreter and Pirates coach Stephen Morales, “and I felt really good.”

Cruz couldn’t suppress his smile in the home clubhouse following his first multi-hit game since June 4 against the Houston Astros. In the 13 games leading to Sunday, Cruz batted .111 (6 for 54) with no extra-base hits, two RBIs and 20 strikeouts against four walks. His batting average dropped 21 points and his OPS 98 points.

Even worse, his performance at the plate affected other aspects of his game. Cruz drew criticism for not chasing a ball that bounced past him in center field against the Texas Rangers on June 20, but a conversation with Pirates manager Don Kelly appeared to provide encouragement.

It was only temporary. When Cruz jogged to first on an inning-ending 5-6-3 double play ball in a 9-3 loss Tuesday at Milwaukee, Kelly sent a message by removing him from the game. Cruz said he thought there were two outs but took the benching in stride. The next day, Kelly dropped Cruz to fifth in the order to take pressure off him at the plate.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not about where I hit in the lineup,” Cruz said, adding that his approach became passive after drawing walks. “It’s a personal thing that I need to do, just to be more aggressive.”

Kelly noted over the weekend that Cruz was working on mechanical issues after getting “in-between” at the plate, where he was taking fastballs and out front on off-speed pitches. Instead of being athletic and seeing the ball and reacting, Cruz was trying to think his way through at-bats. Kelly expressed the need for Cruz to be the best version of himself.

On Sunday, Cruz shared his appreciation for how Kelly handled a horrible week and communicated with him about expectations.

“The way DK showed his support for me kept me grounded,” Cruz said of Kelly. “Also, talking to me every day about just staying positive and doing the stuff that he knows that I can do. (Saturday), we had a conversation here when I was hitting and he was trying to find out if something was wrong with me away from here and I told him that everything is fine, I’ve just run into a little bit of a rough time. But that’s the way he’s shown that he cares, not just for me but for everybody, when it comes to that. Showing out for us and caring for us every time.”

Kelly has been adamant that the Pirates need Cruz to be productive to win games, whether that’s in the batter’s box, in center field or on the base paths. For that to happen, Cruz needs to play with confidence again.

“He needs to believe in himself,” Kelly said. “Going up there, he’s a really good player, a really athletic player. He needs to believe in himself when he’s down, because it’s hard, man. He’s been working at it. I think this past week has been a good learning experience for him.”