A handful of thoughts and a bucketful of dreams over the past couple of days while I enjoy a brief vacation:
Can we pull the plug on Andruw Jones? Not only was his 0-for-4 on Saturday night particularly ugly (two strikeouts and a first pitch double-play in what turned out to be a three-pitch inning), but now he's in a 3-for-44 slump.
Or, if you want to go back further, he's 18-for-117 since April 27.
At this point, I think any at-bats that could potentially end up in his hands should go to Dayan Viciedo, who hasn't looked overmatched yet, and it would be nice to know if he will be. Any outfield starts that could go to him should to go Mark Kotsay, who at least has a pulse. And maybe...
Brent Lillibridge should get some more action. After his big ninth-inning double that went to waste on Saturday, Lillibridge is 4-for-4 as a pinch hitter. Moreover, all four hits have gone for extra bases, including a huge bases-clearing triple the time before.
There is a risk of overexposing whatever adjustments he has made, but I think an all-fields approach should be rewarded instead of watching Jones spin himself into the ground with two strikes and make no-look catches when he hasn't backed up the act in years.
Why did Carlos Quentin shave his playoff beard? Just when he appeared to have his mojo back, he goes and hacks his scruff into a '90s goatee. What happened to not overthinking, smart guy?
Going back to Viciedo, watching him handle the basic plays within a step to either side and in front of him just confirms how awful Mark Teahen has been.
Enjoy the holiday. If you're playing with fireworks, record it, just in case something awesome happens.
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Minor league roundup:
- Norfolk 7, Charlotte 6
- Donny Lucy singled twice, walked twice, scored twice and was hit by a pitch.
- Robert Hudson went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI.
- Brent Morel was 1-for-3 with two sac bunts.
- Jordan Danks singled and struck out over five PAs.
- Birmingham 2, Mississippi 1
- C.J. Retherford singled twice and walked once over four PAs.
- Christian Marrero went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Winston-Salem 6, Lynchburg 2
- Jon Gilmore had three singles and two RBI.
- Jose Martinez went 1-for-4 with an RBI; Eduardo Escobar was 1-for-5.
- Drew Garcia went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI.
- Santos Rodriguez struck out the side in his inning of work, although he also allowed a run on two hits.
- Kannapolis 4, Asheville 3
- Brady Shoemaker drove in three runs with a single and a double.
- Kyle Colligan went 3-for-4 with a double and a strikeout.
- Nick Ciolli went hitless over four ABs, striking out twice.
- Bristol 6, Greeneville 2
- Matthew Heidenreich allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over five innings, striking out five.
- Sean O'Connell went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
- Billings 7, Great Falls 5
- Thomas Royse struggled, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk over two innings, fanning two.
- Ross Wilson doubled and walked over five trips to the plate.
