Jeff Clement is out of the starting lineup for the third straight game on Friday.

Pirates manager John Russell said he might not be back in the lineup for another two or three days as he works on changes to his approach. Ryan Church, the main beneficiary of Clement's absence from the lineup, is playing right field and batting sixth against Chris Carpenter. Garrett Jones is starting at first base.

Jeff Clement went 0-for-4 and struck out three times in Saturday's loss to the Dodgers.

The Pirates have stayed patienct so far, but Clement is 0-for-10 in his last three games to drop his average back down to .176. The Pirates will have the option of shifting Garrett Jones to first base and putting Ryan Church in right field if Clement continues to struggle.

Jeff Clement hit a solo home run off Roy Oswalt in Friday's loss to the Astros.

Clement continues to struggle badly at the plate and is hitting just .146 on the season. Tonight's jack was just his second extra base hit of the season and he's going to have to pick it up soon to maintain regular at-bats.

Jeff Clement, hitless in his last 17 at-bats, was benched for Sunday's game against the Reds due to lack of production.

Clement is batting just .103/.182/.207 this season with one homer and three RBI in 29 at-bats. He's an attractive fantasy option because he has both first base and catcher eligibility, but things could be going better. "Obviously, statistically, Jeff's struggled with the bat," Pirates GM Neal Huntington said Sunday. "He's pressing. You can tell he's starting to do things he normally doesn't do in expanding the strike zone."

Jeff Clement hit his first homer and walked Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

The Pirates want to give Clement a lengthy opportunity, but Delwyn Young had a great spring and Ryan Church is also deserving of playing time. Church will need to hit in order to stay in the lineup.