Mom, dad, Pirates fans have Gregory Polanco's back in tough times, but he also prays 'a lot'

Gregory Polanco smiles easily, and appears to enjoy engaging in conversations about hitting, his teammates and the good fortune he sees ahead for everyone.

That’s the case even now, when the Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder’s batting average sits at .150 after seven games, with no home runs or RBIs.

Yet, after his first multi-hit game of the season (2 for 3 Thursday against the Chicago Cubs) raised his average nearly 100 points from .059, he admitted the truth:

It’s difficult to stay positive.

“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “Sometimes, it’s hard to sleep when you are going through these hard times. I talk to my dad, my mom. They are my biggest supporters ever. They are always there.”

And, then, there’s this:

“I pray to God a lot,” he said.

The Pirates came into this season knowing they will need Polanco’s power potential. He once hit 23 home runs — a career best — but that was in 2018.

Still, when there are 162 games on the schedule, the smart players don’t panic after seven.

But since injuring his shoulder late in the ‘18 season, Polanco has appeared in 98 games, with 13 home runs, 28 extra-base hits, 39 RBIs and a .194 batting average.

And that’s from the Pirates’ highest-paid player ($11 million this season), far surpassing runner-up Adam Frazier ($4.3 million), according to spotrac.com.

Polanco was on base three times Thursday, first doubling to the opposite (left) field on a ball that left the bat at 101.5 mph, according to Statcast. Then, he opened the two-run fourth inning — the only time the Pirates scored in the 4-2 defeat — with a bloop single clocked at 66.7 mph.

In the fifth, he barely missed a home run, flying out to deep center field, a 396-foot out that was hit harder than his double (104.7 mph).

Manager Derek Shelton said he was encouraged with how Polanco swung the bat.

“Encouraging sign for G. He’s been working hard,” he said.

Polanco said he’s trying to be patient. “Not trying to do too much,” he said. “Trying to keep it simple. Let the hands do the work.”

Polanco isn’t the only Pirates player struggling at the plate.

Utility player Phillip Evans leads the team in hitting (.368), taking advantage of increased opportunity while Ke’Bryan Hayes sits on the injured list. Second is Colin Moran (.280).

Then, it’s a precipitous drop to Bryan Reynolds (.240), Frazier (.227) and Jacob Stallings (.188). Kevin Newman, who hit .606 in spring training, is down to .185 in the games that count. Center fielder Anthony Alford is 0 for 11, with eight strikeouts.

As a team, the Pirates are hitting .202, with 69 strikeouts in 258 plate appearances (26.7%). Only five other teams, including the Cubs (.157), have a lower batting average. The Pirates and Cubs resume their three-game series Saturday at PNC Park.

“I’m 100% sure we’re going to be better,” said Polanco, ever the good teammate. “A lot of guys are getting adjusted to the season. The results right now are not there, but we are taking good at-bats.

“If you see Newman, he’s hitting the ball good, but at somebody every time. When we get Ke’Bryan back, we’re going to be good. We’re going to be OK.”

Hitting a baseball that’s thrown more than 90 mph from 60 feet, 6 inches sounds difficult, and Polanco can attest that it is.

“We are not machines. We’re going to go through tough moments,” he said. “We have to stay focused and trust the work that we do in the cage.”

Plus, he said he watches video of his swing before and after games, keeping an eye on flaws in his mechanics.

When Polanco came to the plate Thursday and the public address announcer introduced him to the crowd of 7,749, the ovations were some of the loudest of the day.

Another reason for Polanco to smile.

“They have my back,” he said.

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