Pirates' Jordy Mercer: Bounces back Wednesday
Mercer went 2-for-4 with his ninth homer Wednesday against the Astros.
Analysis:
He had cooled off with two hits in his last 17 at-bats, so the afternoon performance was encouraging. Mercer has already played in his second-highest total of games (119), and the Pirates will continue to spot him with Sean Rodriguez at shortstop. He is 1-for-15 against Thursday starter Wily Peralta.