The Boston Red Sox have taken out David Ortiz from the starting lineup and Big Papi has raised some questions including possibly bringing up that irritating topic surrounding his age.
Ortiz was taken out of the Red Sox starting lineup in what seems to be a tactical move. The 39-year-old designated hitter (DH) has had his struggles, particularly with lefties.
The athlete has reportedly been working on it but apparently such has not shown. Now, it looks like the Red Sox need to make some adjustments such as taking Big Papi out of the starting lineup each time there is a left-handed pitcher starting on the opposing side.
Manager John Farrell calls it a day-off, giving Ortiz time to work on his hit against lefties. Others see it in a different way, a beginning of the end sort of type of thing.
Does this have something to do with his age?
Big Papi’s current predicament does come at a weird time. Just last week, many had asked him if he was “washed up” which of course he took with civility.
After winning three straight wins over the weekend, Ortiz had a golden chance to silence his detractors further. But in their match against the Baltimore Orioles, the heat just seemed to get worse on Ortiz as the Red Sox were shut out by the Orioles 1-0 on five hits and the 23rd time this season.
Despite having fared well against some left-handers in the past, it was apparent that Ortiz’ struggles against lefties this season has been far from impressive.
He is 8 for 70 against left-handed pitchers (.114) not an impressive percentage considering Big Papi is a player who once set the standard for designated hitters. Now, he is among the last among all qualified designated hitters in batting average, RBI and runs.
And with that stat line, it is expected that other teams will be trying to attack Ortiz from here on. Farrell knows this for a fact.
“I think guys are going to attack him a little more," Farrell said Tuesday via ESPN. “We’ve also seen some at-bats, and this isn’t just David, where you’re not getting into hitters’ counts too often. But yeah, I think guys like to attack him more and get him into swing mode, instead of looking at pitches and trying to be a little bit more in a defined strike zone."
Though not pretty, those washed-up comments may be coming into the picture once again soon. Could it be an indication of an abrupt end?
As far as Farrell is concerned, Ortiz is still out there trying to improve and hopefully hitting coach Chili Davis can help guide Ortiz as he tries to improve against left-handed pitchers thrown at him.
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