Jimmy Rollins took grounders on the infield before batting practice and determined his sprained left ankle is still to sore to play. In particular, he felt it when he moved laterally to his left. But the Phillies still don't believe Rollins will need to go on the disabled list. In fact, if the situation presents itself, Charlie Manuel said he will use Rollins as a pinch-hitter tonight.
Tonight's lineup against Astros RHP Shawn Chacon: CF Jayson Werth (.421/1/5), C Carlos Ruiz (.211/0/3), 2B Chase Utley (.333/3/9), 1B Ryan Howard (.191/3/6), LF Pat Burrell (.359/4/13), RF Geoff Jenkins (.256/1/2), 3B Pedro Feliz (.200/2/6), SS Eric Bruntlett (.208/1/1), RHP Adam Eaton (0-0, 3.95).
Werth, at 6-foot-5, guessed he's the tallest leadoff hitter in baseball tonight. We'll check that out for you. And, yes, it's the first time Ruiz is batting second in his major-league career. He's a good choice, though. He runs fairly well for a catcher and can move runners.
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2 comments:
Scott,
I don't know if I agree that Ruiz is a good no. 2 hitter, and you'll have to give me the benefit of the doubt when I say that I thought this before tonight's game, as well.
He might be quick for a catcher, but he also grounds into a lot of DPs and rarely gets on base. Even in a pinch, I don't know how much good he does you up there.
King Myno: You make some very valid points. Ruiz does ground into a lot of double plays (team-leading 17 last season). But in a lot of ways, he reminds me of Joe Girardi, in the sense that he has decent speed for a catcher and isn't a strikeout machine. Girardi batted second in 34 games for the Yankees in 1996 and did a nice job.
Is Ruiz the ideal No. 2 hitter? Absolutely not. But considering the predicament the Phillies find themselves in, I don't think there are many better No. 2 options out there right now.
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