Derek Shelton turned into baseball 'nerd' when he watched Albert Pujols in batting cage

Derek Shelton wasn’t ashamed to admit Friday that a close encounter he had with Albert Pujols brought out the nerd in him.

The Pirates manager was asked about Pujols, who was designated for assignment Thursday by the Los Angeles Angels after 21 seasons in the majors.

Shelton was the hitting coach in Cleveland when Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals came to town. There were no visiting batting cages in Cleveland at the time, so Shelton, the Indians’ batting coach, watched Pujols put on a show.

And the show featured more than just hard-hit baseballs. It was Pujols’ approach that intrigued Shelton.

“His attention to detail in his cage work really stood out to me,” he said. “As a hitting coach, I nerded out on it. This is what great hitters do. It was really cool to see.

“At the time, he was the best player in the game, hands down.”

Shelton went a step further, calling Pujols “one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time.”

He said his time in St. Louis — when he hit .314 or better in nine seasons and .299 in the 10th — was “maybe the greatest 10-year stretch of a right-hander of all-time.”

“He was phenomenal to watch in a couple ways because he played multiple positions doing it. He played first. He played third. He played left. He did whatever was needed for the team and played every day,” he said.

“The second part of it is he’s always been extremely generous with his time. We had a charity in Tampa and he was always one of the first people to donate things, always asking if we needed more things because he knew it went to a children’s hospital.

“Phenomenal human being. Very fortunate I got a chance to talk to him, meet him and watch him play.”

Crick’s hot streak

If Kyle Crick had only thrown five innings while giving up one hit, that would be good news. But the fact that the Pirates’ relief pitcher has allowed only one in 11 innings is an especially encouraging sign for the bullpen.

The most recent hit against him was April 11 in Chicago during a scoreless inning. He has a streak of no hits in his past eight appearances (7 2/3 innings) and has retired 19 of the past 20 batters he’s faced prior to the game Friday against the Cubs.

“The slider has continued to be good. The execution of the fastball is really good,” Shelton said.

Shelton said he was impressed by the two fastballs he used to strike out the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado on Tuesday.

“He’s got both pitches working right now,” the manager said.

Evans in right field

After he was 2 for 28 at the plate in eight games prior to the San Diego series and then hit safely in two of three, Phil Evans started in right field and batted fifth for the fifth time this season Friday.

“I think the point of emphasis is making sure he just stays in his legs and swing,” Shelton said. “I think at times we’ve seen him come out of (his legs), and it can cause him to come out of his swing. That’s been the main point of emphasis, just from watching.”

Evans started the season hitting .406 in nine games, but the average fell dramatically to .127 in the previous 18.

Despite his struggles, Evans still shares the Pirates’ home run lead with Colin Moran (four).

Injury update

Ke’Bryan Hayes took more groundballs before the game Friday, but there is no timetable for his return. Hayes has been on the injured list with a left wrist strain since April 4.

Also, there’s no new news on Chad Kuhl, who remains on the IL. He was eligible to come off April 29.

“Still going through the processes,” Shelton said. “As of right now, the expectation is he will throw live BP in the next few days.”

Crowe gets another turn

With Kuhl out, Wil Crowe will make his sixth start Saturday.

He allowed three runs, three hits and four walks in 5 innings in his most recent start — a loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis on May 2 – but Shelton liked one aspect of Crowe’s effort.

“I really like the fact that he goes right after people. He’s not timid at all, and that’s a really good sign,” Shelton said. “He showed that in the last start. Just a sign of growth. With the fact that Chad’s out, he’s going to continue to get innings.”