Pirates' Josh Bell to start as DH in All-Star Game
CLEVELAND — Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Josh Bell will start in the All-Star Game, after all.
National League manager Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Monday that Bell will be the starting designated hitter in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night at Progressive Field.
“I like that presence in the middle of the lineup,” Roberts said.
Bell lost to the Atlanta Braves’ Freddie Freeman in the final vote for starting first baseman.
The Pirates have used Bell as the DH in seven games in his career, but he’s made the most of it with a 1.182 OPS. He has a .333 batting average with two home runs, three doubles, one triple and six RBIs.
He hit both home runs last month in Houston.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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