The Great One
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alabama
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Padres' newest platoon producing
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SAN DIEGO -- No matter the opponent, no matter the day of the week, Padres manager Bud Black always believes he has the right answer in center field.
There's just one catch, though.
That "answer" in center field depends on which arm the opposing starting pitcher uses to throw.
If it's a left-handed pitcher, then it's Scott Hairston. If it's a right-handed pitcher, Jody Gerut gets the call in center field.
The Padres' center-field platoon has produced in the early part of the season heading into the first of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday at PETCO Park.
And while some players check the lineup card each day to see if their name is on it, Gerut and Hairston only have to look to see which arm the opposing pitcher throws with.
Heading into Friday's game, the Padres (9-6) have gotten solid production from Hairston (.438) and Gerut (.316), who have combined for eight doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .371 batting average in 70 at-bats.
"They complement each other, and both end up in the same game a lot," Black said. "And it keeps them current. They are both contributing to our offense. Scott has produced in a pretty good sample size. It makes sense to keep him in the lineup."
Keeping these two "current" means never having one or the other sit for prolonged time, which hasn't occurred because the Padres have seen an abundance of left-handed starting pitchers (seven) in their first 14 games.
"There's been a good mix of lefties and righties so far," Hairston said. "It's not like I'll go four or five days without seeing the field. It seems like each team has two lefties in their rotation."
That trend figures to hold true over the weekend as the Padres face two right-handers and one left-handed pitcher in their three-game series against the Pirates.
No, this isn't some wild hunch that Black has tried that's worked out. Hairston has, in the past, been a better hitter against left-handed pitchers (.283) than right-handers (.234). As for Gerut, he's a career .291 hitter against right-handers and .211 against left-handers.
There's just one catch, though.
That "answer" in center field depends on which arm the opposing starting pitcher uses to throw.
If it's a left-handed pitcher, then it's Scott Hairston. If it's a right-handed pitcher, Jody Gerut gets the call in center field.
The Padres' center-field platoon has produced in the early part of the season heading into the first of three games against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday at PETCO Park.
And while some players check the lineup card each day to see if their name is on it, Gerut and Hairston only have to look to see which arm the opposing pitcher throws with.
Heading into Friday's game, the Padres (9-6) have gotten solid production from Hairston (.438) and Gerut (.316), who have combined for eight doubles, three home runs, 14 RBIs and a .371 batting average in 70 at-bats.
"They complement each other, and both end up in the same game a lot," Black said. "And it keeps them current. They are both contributing to our offense. Scott has produced in a pretty good sample size. It makes sense to keep him in the lineup."
Keeping these two "current" means never having one or the other sit for prolonged time, which hasn't occurred because the Padres have seen an abundance of left-handed starting pitchers (seven) in their first 14 games.
"There's been a good mix of lefties and righties so far," Hairston said. "It's not like I'll go four or five days without seeing the field. It seems like each team has two lefties in their rotation."
That trend figures to hold true over the weekend as the Padres face two right-handers and one left-handed pitcher in their three-game series against the Pirates.
No, this isn't some wild hunch that Black has tried that's worked out. Hairston has, in the past, been a better hitter against left-handed pitchers (.283) than right-handers (.234). As for Gerut, he's a career .291 hitter against right-handers and .211 against left-handers.
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