In Triple-A in 2008, San Diego third-baseman Chase Headley hit 13 home runs in only 295 plate appearances. In his fourth major league season now, he still hasn’t hit 13 in a year. The Padres beat up on the Pirates yesterday, 15-5, and Headley played a big role there, driving in 5 runs. Four of those came on a grand slam, which increased his 2011 home run total by 25% – from 3 to 4.
Headley has been a relatively productive player in his career, despite showing little power (even taking into account that half his games are played in Petco) from what is often considered a slightly more offensively focused position. He knows how to work a free pass, walking in almost 10% of his career plate appearances (and 12% in 2011). He’ll steal the occasional base – 43 career with an 81% success rate (after stealing only 6 bases in his entire minor league career). Though he strikes out more than the average hitter, his high BABIPs keep his batting average from being too low. And he seems to have a pretty good glove at third. That combination of skills has made Headley a quiet contributor.
On the other side of the field, things weren’t so rosy as the Pirates lost their 8th straight game – a streak which began a couple days before the trade deadline. This has not only seemingly knocked the Pirates out of contention (they’re 8 games out of first now), but also sent them below .500 (54-57) for the first time since the middle of June. It was a great story while it lasted though.
Also last night: Brett Lawrie made his major league debut, picking up a couple hits; Dan Uggla extended his hitting streak to 26 games (he’s hitting .215 now!); Ubaldo Jimenez made his first start for the Indians, but it was the Rangers coming back from down 5 runs to eventually get the extra-inning walk-off win; and much more.
What to watch tonight: The Yankees, with CC Sabathia on the mound, try to hold onto sole possession of first place against the Red Sox; Johnny Cueto looks to take the ML ERA lead for pitchers (1.72), by pitching enough innings to become a qualified starter; and Cole Hamels takes on Matt Cain in San Francisco. Full schedule with probable pitchers here.
