Pence talks push bunt

A clean-up hitter who is willing to bunt when the situation calls for it. I knew there was good reason to like this guy, over and above the unique sounding name. The fact that we have to bat him clean-up is a story for another day. We're trying to focus on the positives for now.

From Mercurynews.com GIANTS EXTRA:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2012/08/25/postgame-notes-giants-still-have-the-best-lineup-and-its-five-starters-pence-talks-about-push-bunting-and-his-struggles/?

“I’m confident in the push bunt because I’ve been practicing it for two years,” said Pence Friday. “I’ll have sessions where I’ll spend a good 30-45 minutes just bunting. I did a whole bunch until I got good at it.”

Pence went to the push bunt when opposing teams started shading him to pull more and more often. He had one too many line drives up the middle gobbled up by an second baseman playing right behind the bag and decided to do something about it.

“Balls hit up the middle should be hits, so I practiced the push bunt to try and change how teams were playing me,” he said. “The situation has to be right. But first and third with less than two outs like last night, there are a lot of good things that can happen with a good bunt.”

While with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this year, Pence executed a similar push bunt for a hit against the Boston Red Sox. That one was more difficult, he said, because the defense was playing him straight up and no one was on base.

“We were down by two in the ninth and we just needed a runner that time,” he said. “But last night, Dan (Uggla) was basically playing me behind second base, so I had a large margin for error. I practiced it a whole bunch earlier this year, so I figured worse-case scenario, I get by the pitcher, I get a run in and I get a guy over. Potentially, I get a hit. No one was really expecting it.”

Including Bochy. Pence told third base Tim Flannery that he had the push bunt as a potential and Flannery said he’d pass it along, but apparently the message didn’t get relayed.

“I came in after the inning and Boch said, `I didn’t know you had that in you,’ ” Pence said. “But I hadn’t been swinging the bat particularly well, so it was the perfect time for it.”

Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez said Friday thought it was a masterly strategic decision.

“He put it right where you couldn’t even defend it,” Gonzalez said. “We weren’t expecting it, but even if you knew it was coming, he put it out there in a spot where you couldn’t do anything about it.” Pence came into Friday night still hitting .195 but he does have 16 RBIs in 22 games. Yet it grates on him that he hasn’t produced to his own expectations.

“Most of the time I put a lot of pressure on myself to carry and do a lot more,” he said. “It’s just been one of those years where it’s really been a test for myself, and it’s going to make me stronger. It’s not been easy. I’m definitely not happy about where I’m at. I know I’m better than this, and I’m going to keep plugging away until it turns around.”

Yes, even if it means bunting out of the middle of the order.