Brandon Inge to bat second against Cliff Lee, Phillies

Here's the lineup for the Pirates' 1:05 matchup against Cliff Lee and the Phillies.

Starling Marte LF
Brandon Inge 2B
Andrew McCutchen CF
Gaby Sanchez 1B
Michael McKenry C
Pedro Alvarez 3B
Jose Tabata RF
Clint Barmes SS
James McDonald P

Brandon Inge is batting second! That's a thing. I'm sure the rationale is probably that he's hitting .372/.438/.605 lifetime against Lee, but it's only in 48 plate appearances. I had to chuckle a bit at the suggestion that Inge might be an asset against lefties, after hitting .209/.276/.417 against them last year. The Pirates as a team are hitting just .187/.255/.310 against them, though, and they've got so many hitters who just don't do anything against lefties -- Neil Walker (who's sitting today), Garrett Jones, Alvarez.