{"id":76395,"date":"2024-06-11T08:24:11","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T12:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=76395"},"modified":"2024-06-11T08:24:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T12:24:11","slug":"pirates-rowdy-tellez-hot-in-june","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/11\/pirates-rowdy-tellez-hot-in-june\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Slugger on Fire in June, Has Interesting Explanation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the calendar turned to June, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez<\/a> has been one of baseball\u2019s hot hitters. After a miserable stretch that saw Tellez hit .145\/.182\/.181 with just two RBI from April 16 through May 31, suddenly Tellez is 9-for-17 in June. While Luis Arr\u00e1ez<\/a> isn\u2019t worried about the competition for the batting title, since June began, Tellez has raised his average from .177 to .218. Saturday\u2019s home run against the Minnesota Twins was his first in 134 at-bats, a career-long homerless drought.<\/p>\n

Come, Writers and Critics<\/h3>\n

Before Tellez got hot, the Pirates had quite a dilemma<\/a>. Boos rained down from the stands at PNC Park whenever Tellez came up to bat. They got louder whenever he made an out. He was a sucker for pitches that broke down and in, waving at them helplessly, often after looking at fastballs down the middle of the plate. Critics in the media were relentless.<\/p>\n

On April 9, Tellez came to the defense of All-Star closer David Bednar<\/a>, who was booed mercilessly by Pirates fans after blowing a save. \u201cThis is the pride of Pittsburgh,\u201d Tellez told the assembled media. \u201cWe don\u2019t do that out here.\u201d Fans and even media members later referred to this moment and twisted his words to mean Pirates fans should never boo anybody. It placed an even bigger target on Tellez\u2019s back.<\/p>\n

General manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton<\/a> kept the faith. They were familiar with Tellez from their time with the Toronto Blue Jays, who drafted him<\/a> in 2013. Cherington was Toronto\u2019s vice president of baseball operations from 2016-19. Shelton was their quality control coach in 2017. On Saturday, Cherington conducted his once-per-homestand meeting with the press. The inevitable question came up: How long will the Pirates stick with Tellez?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe a breakout is coming,\u201d said Cherington.<\/p>\n

Too bad it was too late to get his pick in the Belmont Stakes.<\/p>\n

Pirates Hot Hitter Tellez Turns Boos to Cheers<\/h3>\n

On Saturday, Tellez came to bat in a scoreless tie in the bottom of the seventh inning. Against Twins starter Simeon Woods Richardson<\/a>, the big left-handed slugger hit a towering solo home run to center field. Pirates fans chanted \u201cRow-dee!\u201d as he circled the bases. Their support clearly moved Tellez.
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