Adrian Gonzalez- SD- Great Player- Silly Phillies. They chose to pitch to Gonzalez with no one on in the 6th inning and, naturally, Gonzalez parked one, his 21st of the season. It was only his 6th homer this year at Petco, n 87 ABs. It is mind boggling to think of what Gonzalez would produce even in a neutral park.
Juan Pierre- LAN- Hot- Pierre finished May on a down note, going 1-for-13 in his last three games. He was back at it yesterday, though, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Realistically, Pierre’s .382 average is not sustainable, especially being bolstered by a .350 BHIPx, but he is certainly making the most of his opportunity to take the place of Manny Ramirez.
Jordan Schafer- ATL- Rookie- Handed an outfield slot at the beginning of the season, the highly regarded Schafer has been a disappointment to say the least. In May he batted just .158 with no homers and one steal. He has drawn a healthy number of walks (27) but his 63 Ks in 167 ABs just kills him. The strikeouts have been a tendency he showed in the minors during slumps, and this season has been a prolonged slump for him. Schafer still has time to turn it around, but it looks like he is going to learn major league pitchers the hard way.
Aramis Ramirez- CHN- Inj Update- For a player whose homer ratios had been dropping over the past few seasons, a shoulder separation is not a good thing. It is good news that it appears likely that Ramirez is not done for the year, but shoulder issues do not bode well for continuing the power surge he showed in his brief playing time this season (4 homers in 18 games). Look at what shoulder problems did to Travis Hafner and it is not a happy thought.
Jay Bruce- CIN- Cold- Take Adam Dunn, subtract the walks and you’ve got Jay Bruce. Since hitting two homers last Wednesday, he has gone 1-for-16 with 8 Ks and 2 walks. For the season, Bruce has struck out 45 times in 182 at bats, but drawn only 18 walks, so his OBP is at .302. The 14 homers are definitely a plus, but there is some baggage to go with them.
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