Hurdle believes Kang can work through slump

LOS ANGELES — When speaking to Jung Ho Kang about his slump at the plate and his struggles in the field, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle didn’t have to look far for proof that everyone has down years.

Hurdle mentioned Andrew McCutchen and former Pittsburgh left-hander Francisco Liriano, two established veterans inexplicably struggling this season. Kang has followed a similar path, enduring a miserable slump after an outstanding rookie year in the Majors.

“He’s been a pro,” Hurdle said. “It happens up here. It’s usually going to happen, sooner or later.”

Kang has been out of the Pirates’ lineup each of the last two days, and he may cede more starts at third base to David Freese if his struggles persist. Kang entered Friday hitting .230/.307/.447, and he’s run up his error total to eight, five of them in August.

“He is working hard to try to find some consistency with everything we’re doing,” Hurdle said. “There’s always a side of the argument that to become more consistent, you need …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com