Pirates pair of Gaby, Jones cleaning up well

PHILADELPHIA -- It's not set in stone that Gaby Sanchez and Garrett Jones will form a platoon in the cleanup spot of the Pirates' lineup. Still, it's hard not to notice that the two have combined to hit .367 (22-for-60) with three home runs and 16 RBIs batting fourth.

"We've had some guys at the top of the order create opportunities for them; Gaby [.381 with two home runs in eight games batting fourth] has matched up well against some left-handed pitching," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "They've been able to collectively, in a small sample size, have some pretty good productivity. They are comfortable with it."

Jones, who returned to the lineup on Wednesday night against Phillies right-handed starter Roy Halladay, had played 11 games in the cleanup slot and hit .359 (14-for-39) with 16 RBIs.