Elvis Andrus- TEX- Hot- Andrus is yet another Texas hitter who made mince meat of Baltimore pitching last night. He went 2-for-3 with a triple, 4 runs scored and 1 knocked in. most significantly, though, may have been the 2 walks he drew, his first walks as a major leaguer. Andrus had a .47 Batting EYE in the minors and if he can approach that number in his rookie season with Texas could perform above expectations offensively.
Armando Galarraga- DET- Hot- It wasn’t quite the danger zone of over 110 pitches, but Galarraga threw exactly that many in yesterday’s impressive start. At 27 years old, his arm probably isn’t as susceptible to overwork as the usual second year starter, but when a pitcher needs that many to get through 6-1/3 IP, it’s a risk keeping him out there that long. In 2008 Galarraga exceeded the 110 pitch barrier 4 times. Only once did he come back in the next outing and yield fewer than 5 runs.
Jose Contreras- CHA- Cold- Contreras got smacked around again yesterday, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks in 5-1/3 IP. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his career, but unless he gets an inordinate amount of good luck (as in 2005 when his 3.61 ERA was driven by a .255 BHIPx) he puts up numbers that are mediocre at best.
Ron Mahay- KC- Hot- Mahay bounced back from a terrible outing his last time to give up just 1 hit and strike out 3 in 1-2/3 innings of work yesterday. Not just a LOOGY, Mahay can be a source of decent ERA and WHIP, as far as relievers go. With KC possibly being competitive in the AL Central, he could also pick up a number of holds, for those of you with that as a relevant category.
Dustin Pedroia- BOS- Cold- Have pitchers been using a Playstation to prepare for facing Pedroia? Whether high and inside, low and away or right down the middle, Pedroia isn’t hitting much of anything. After going 0-for-5 yesterday, his batting average stands at just .179. Still, his Batting EYE is at a normal (for Pedroia) 1.00, so it’s probably just one of those dry spells affecting him that is magnified by the low AB totals at the start of the season. It’s not time to worry yet.
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