Carlos Gomez- MIN- Hot- Gomez went 2-for-4 and stole his 30th base of the season yesterday. If he had an OBP of higher than .290, Gomez would have a much higher steal total. However, as long as he stays allergic to walks (21 after 513 ABs) he will not be able to exploit his speed as much.
Jose Guillen- KC- Hot- Even after going 1-for-4 yesterday, Guillen has a .400 batting average for September. Manager says that Guillen has been more selective and only swinging at good pitches. Although he (Guillen, not Hillman) has not walked this month, he has only struck out twice in 30 at bats, so there is probably validity in Hillman’s observation. It looks like opposing pitchers have given Guillen pitches he can hit. Hillman is now hoping that Guillen can recapture the power stroke he had in May, when he hit 7 homers. That may be a little tougher.
Nick Swisher- CHA- Cold- Swisher went 1-for-4 yesterday. It was only his 7th hit in his last 52 at bats. Swisher has lost 12 points off his batting average in that span and it is now down to .225. His free swinging ways have increased (21Ks) but he has drawn only 5 walks during this time. The drop in Batting EYE from .71 to .63 in the space of 16 games is significant. Swisher needs to turn that around in order to be productive.
Jason Bay- BOS- Cold- Bay couldn’t make it 4 games in a row with a homer, but he went the other extreme yesterday, playing the entire 14-inning contest and going hitless in 7 at bats. Still, he is hitting .299 as a Red Sock, but with his Batting EYE sinking from .69 as a Pirate to .31 with Boston, his hot streak was unlikely to last forever.
Josh Outman - OAK- Rise Value- Outman (who has the perfect name for a pitcher) will get a chance to show the A’s just what they got as part of the Joe Blanton deal as he takes Gio Gonzalez’s spot in the rotation. Outman will go Saturday against the Rangers. He was supposed to have his starting debut against Baltimore last Saturday but was scratched when the first game was rained out. Outman’s main potential weakness is control. Before the trade, he had 37 BBs in 70-1/3 IP at AA Reading. Outman needs to prove that his name shouldn’t be Sony (Walkman- get it?) before he is considered for a 2009 rotation spot for Oakland.
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