The Box is at it again.
First, he hits Ben Davis (.282/.320/.486) 9th tonight, with Mark McLemore (.222/.308/.324) 7th. Davis is 3-for-3 so far, while McLemore is 0-3. Bat Davis 7th, and perhaps the M’s score a few runs in the 6th rather than just one.
Then, he uses Aaron (a-run) Taylor in an unfamiliar fashion, bringing him in to get the last out of an inning and then sending him back out to start a new inning. Sure enough, he gave up a some hits and a pair of runs. I’m probably making too big a deal out of this one, but this isn’t the role Taylor is used to. (That said, his stuff looks pretty good — I think he can easily take Jeff Nelson’s spot next season.)
Greg Colbrunn is back on the DL. Luis Ugueto is back in the majors. Our bench is, once again, the worst in baseball history.
Oh, and the current rumor-du-jour is that the M’s have inquired into the availability of Jose Guillen. The Reds will almost certainly trade him, since he’s in the middle of a monster career year and is a free agent at years end. With Dunn, Kearns, and Griffey, he doesn’t fit into Cincinatti’s future, and he’s hitting the cover off the baseball. He also makes peanuts this year, meaning he’ll fit into the M’s budget.
Unfortunately, he’s a right-handed hitter with a career OBP of .314. His plate discipline is awful, and the Reds are going to ask for two good arms in exchange. As much as I’d like to see another bat here, I don’t want to give up Soriano, Nageotte, Johnson, or Blackley to get a hack like Guillen who could easily fall apart.