News
Batting third paying dividends for Wells
Toronto (41-35) vs. Philadelphia (38-34), 1:07 p.m. ET
By Erika Gilbert / MLB.com
06/27/09 6:30 PM ET
TORONTO -- Blue Jays center fielder Vernon Wells' season-high 10-game hitting streak may have come to an end on Saturday, but the numbers Wells has put up over the last two weeks of June are encouraging for a player who struggled for the first couple of months of the season. |
Going into Saturday's game, Wells was hitting .348 with two home runs and eight RBIs over his past 10 contests. That hitting streak came with Wells hitting third in the lineup, after spending most of the season as the cleanup hitter.
Wells was moved into the third spot June 12 as the Jays kicked off a home series with the Marlins. At the time, he was mired in a 10-game slump in which he was batting .135, and had hit .250 on the season. Wells, who signed a seven-year, $126 million contract extension after the 2006 season, had become a target of fans' frustrations, occasionally getting booed after an unsuccessful plate appearance.
Before his home run last Saturday in Washington, Wells had not gone deep since May 31. That 160-at-bat power outage was the longest of his career.
Wells could not say for sure if his new spot in the order has helped his numbers, but said his mind-set at the plate has changed since the switch.
"I think it's a combination of things," Wells said when asked if the change in the lineup had helped his hitting. "You struggle for 2 1/2 months, eventually you're going to start getting some hits. You just continue to work -- continue to tweak little things here and there. Once I kind of got to a comfort zone, it was just a matter of sticking with that.
"I've always liked hitting third -- just kind of knowing you're getting up in the first inning, your mind-set changes. It's definitely a comfortable spot for me."
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said he didn't notice such an effect when he was a player, but he did see how hitting third versus fourth could affect a player's mentality.
"I think sometimes you take on a little bit more because you are hitting fourth. A lot of great hitters hit third," Gaston said. "To me, it doesn't bother me one way or the other. But that's him. That's what he likes."
Pitching matchup
TOR: LHP Brian Tallet (5-4, 4.36 ERA)
Tallet shut out the Reds for six innings on Tuesday at Rogers Centre, earning a win in the Jays' 7-5 victory. He allowed only three hits -- none for extra bases -- and issued one walk while striking out seven, which matched a career high previously achieved May 9 in Oakland. Although Tallet was having no trouble with the Reds and had thrown only 90 pitches, he was pulled after the sixth inning, since he was pitching on only three days' rest. Tallet has never started against the Phillies, but has made six career appearances against them as a reliever, pitching 9 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.86.
Moyer allowed one run on five hits while allowing three walks and striking out four in six innings, picking up his 251st win Tuesday in a victory over Tampa Bay. It tied him for 43rd place on baseball's all-time list with Bob Gibson. "You're looking at Jamie, who's been around, throwing 80 mph, carving us up," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "Baseball's a beautiful game." Moyer needs two more wins to tie Carl Hubbell (253) for 42nd place on the all-time list. Bird Feed
When asked if closer Scott Downs (sprained big toe) would be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list as soon as he is eligible -- when the Jays visit the Yankees on July 3 -- Gaston said he had "no confidence in that at all. ... We're hoping, but I don't know." ... Phillies right fielder Jayson Werth's home run into the 500-level seats in left field in the first inning Saturday was the 14th 500-level home run in Rogers Centre history. The last Blue Jay to hit a ball into the upper deck was Vernon Wells, who did it on Sept. 16, 2004, and the last opposing player to do so was Gary Sheffield on July 28, 2004. ... In Toronto's past three wins, which came on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the starters have allowed seven hits in 20 innings, holding opponents to a .108 batting average. Tickets
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• Monday: Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 10-1, 2.53) vs. Rays (Jeff Niemann, 6-4, 4.23), 7:07 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Blue Jays (Brett Cecil, 2-1, 5.19) vs. Rays (Matt Garza, 5-5, 3.61), 7:07 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Blue Jays (Ricky Romero, 5-3, 3.20) vs. Rays (James Shields, 6-5, 3.41), 1:07 p.m. ET
Erika Gilbert is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
