Matsui Goes Under The Knife
Written by Baqqs on 7:12 PMVERO BEACH, Fla. -- Although Kazuo Matsui's surgical procedure to repair an anal fissure on Monday was a success, the second baseman will need extra time to recover and consequently will begin the season on the disabled list.
Effect On The Team
Omitting Matsui from the Opening Day 25-man roster opens a spot for another player currently on the bubble, such as infielder David Newhan or catcher Humberto Quintero, who would have to pass through waivers before the Astros could send him to the Minor Leagues. Tomas Perez is also an option.
Matsui's situation also creates a hole at the top of the order. Matsui was slated to hit second, behind Michael Bourn, but Cooper may have to shuffle the lineup depending on who plays second base.
When Loretta plays, he'll likely hit second, but when Blum plays, he'll hit in the lower half of the order. Hunter Pence could also slot into the two-hole.
A Fans Opinion
I think it's a win-win situation. If Loretta bats #2 he is likely to get on base about 35% of the time which would be great for our run producers, including Pence at #6. The negative would be that our top of the order isn't the hot-bed of speed that Wade and Coop envisioned. Loretta is highly unlikely to steal where as someone like Pence would if needed. In the end I beleive it all comes down to Pence, would you rather him gather RBI's or Runs? In either case I think our offense is still a potent one.
0 comments: Responses to “ Matsui Goes Under The Knife ”