Ryan Doumit shines in return
Christian Petersen/Getty Images<br> Catcher Ryan Doumit (41) of the Pittsburgh Pirates makes a diving tag to get out Miguel Montero (26) of the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on July 25 in Phoenix.
PITTSBURGH — After missing nearly three months of the 2009 baseball season with a wrist injury, Moses Lake native and Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit returned to the lineup on July 10.
Doumit missed a significant portion of the season after having surgery April 23 to repair a fractured scaphoid bone in his right wrist.
The catcher injured his wrist on April 19 in an 11-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
He broke the bone in his wrist in a swing attempt at the plate.
Doumit has played in just 28 games this season, including 16 consecutive contests since his return to the Pirates earlier this month.
Perhaps Doumit’s best offensive performance this season came on July 22, just nine games after reclaiming his place as Pittsburgh’s everyday catcher.
With the Pirates hosting the Milwaukee Brewers in the finale of their three-game series last week, Doumit went 2-for-4 at the plate to help power the Pirates to the 8-7 victory when Doumit drove a pair of balls over the wall at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park.
Doumit’s first home run of the contest was a two-out, two-run shot in the bottom of the first. Doumit’s drive in the bottom of the first helped the Pirates overcome a home run from Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead.
Doumit wasn’t finished at the plate.
After Pittsburgh first baseman Garret Jones hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third, Doumit homered to give the Pirates back-to-back shots and a 5-2 lead.
Milwaukee scored five runs in the top of the fifth, but the Pirates rallied to take the game and the series.
Doumit is beginning to pick up offensive momentum to start the second half of the season. Doumit has reached base safely in seven of his last eight contests and is one season removed from a breakthrough campaign in 2008.
Doumit hit .318 last season for the Pirates while setting career-highs in home runs (15), RBIs (69) and doubles (34).
Doumit’s .318 average last season would have ranked fourth in the National League, but he fell shy of the required number of plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.