Now leading off, Pirates designated hitter Andrew McCutchen finding his swing

There are a few reasons why the Pittsburgh Pirates have been in a bit of an offensive rut since starting off the season as one of the best-hitting teams. The team is striking out too much and are leaving too many men on base. However, they also have had multiple players slumping at the same time. This includes Oneil Cruz, Jack Suwinski, and Andrew McCutchen.

Well, manager Derek Shelton felt it was time to shake up the lineup some. Cruz, who was leading off, was dropped down in the order. While Andrew McCutchen who never really got going since the beginning of the season was moved into the leadoff spot. At the time of the move, the veteran designated hitter was batting under .200, making fans of the Pirates raise an eyebrow.

However, through two games it looks like the changes may have worked for the time being. Cruz has had much better at-bats since moving down in the order. Meanwhile, Andrew McCutchen looks as though he is finally starting to become locked in at the plate.

Now it has only been two games, but sometimes it just takes one little change to get out of a slump. Whether it is something mechanical, like Ke'Bryan Hayes in 2023, something mental, or even how one is pitched to. Cutch might just be able to handle the leadoff spot better than having him in the middle of the lineup trying to drive guys in.

Either way, it has seemed to work for McCutchen and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In the two games against the Brewers, McCutchen has 5 hits in 8 at-bats. This includes two solo home runs in the bottom of the first inning of each of the games. This has led to 6 runs over the last two games. Now the offense is not necessarily clicking, but at the very least some of the changes seem like they could help the offense find the rhythm again. With Cutch going at the top of the lineup it seems to be trending in that way.