Last year, Juan Uribe walked 13 times in 495 plate appearances. This year, he's walked eight times in 76 PAs --
including two in tonight's game. One of them came after Uribe faced an 0-2 count with two outs. He hung in there, walked, stole a base, and scored a key insurance run.
I'd be slightly more thrilled about this development if he didn't get off to such a "hot" start last year, when he had five walks in April. But as it stands now, however, Uribe is the one Sox on offense of whom nobody could reasonably ask to do more.
After tonight's 0-for-2, two-walk performance, his OBP is just above the league-average (.338, compared to .330). He's second on the Sox and RBI and slugging .476, and when you factor that in with his rejuvenated defense -- how about that relay toss tonight? -- he's suddenly turned into an above-average player.
That's not to say he'll continue to excel, because everybody's well aware of his tendency to be...mercurial. But let's enjoy it while it lasts, because it definitely gives the offense another facet when he's on his game.
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Considering how involved the oblique muscle is in a baseball swing, I can't say it shocked me when Jim Thome couldn't continue after his first in-game swing. In fact, at this point I'd probably be unhappy to see him in the lineup over the course of the next week, at the risk of exacerbating the pain.
That said, the Sox don't have a lot of in-house options at DH. Ozzie Guillen went to Alex Cintron today, and he responded with an 0-for-4 day. Brian Anderson lost the momentum he had from the spring, Ozzie already stated that Rob Mackowiak's not DHing, and he probably avoids putting Pablo Ozuna there for the same reason. And Gustavo Molina is Gustavo Molina.
No matter how you slice it, the Sox are down a hitter. So here's a suggestion -- how about giving Josh Fields another shot?
Sure, Fields is only hitting .216, but even though he's struggling when swinging, he's having a better year at laying off pitches. In 2006, he
struck out three times as often as he walked. This time around, he's
drawn 17 walks to only 20 strikeouts so far, including three more today.
I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to put Thome on the 15-day DL, call up Fields and see if he can provide lightning in a bottle for two weeks. He can't be any worse than the options the Sox have already employed, and his above-average speed and improved batting eye might help to keep the line moving even if he's not making tremendous contact.
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Minor league round-up:- Durham 5, Charlotte 2
- After an aberration yesterday, Ryan Sweeney is back to going 1-for-4. His only hit today was a triple, his first of the year.
- Wiki Gonzalez hit another homer, his second in three games. And he's not on the major-league roster because...?
- Heath Phillips did Heath Phillips things -- 8 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 HR. That's just about Mark Buehrle Lite, if Phillips weren't a portly fellow.
- Birmingham 6, Huntsville 3
- The strikeouts keep coming for Gio Gonzalez -- 13 more in seven innings, opposed to only one walk. He did give up a homer, but considering he only gave up five hits, it didn't really hurt. That's 43 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings (13.66/9 IP). And he also improved to 4-1.
- Chris Getz had his first multi-hit game in a couple of weeks, and Jason Bourgeois went 2-for-3 with two doubles out of the leadoff spot.
- Dewon Day gave up two hits and a run in one inning of work, striking out one.
- Wilmington 4, Winston-Salem 3 (13 innings)
- David Cook and Micah Schnurstein each hit their fifth homer of the year.
- John Lujan and Gary Bakker combined for five scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts.
- Aaron Cunningham went 1-for-4 with a walk.
- Asheville 7, Kannapolis 3
- Catcher Francisco Hernandez fell a homer short of the cycle; Lee Cruz went 0-for-5, a minor setback after a couple of straight multi-hit games.
- Michael Rocco was the only one of five pitchers to not allow a run.