Will Middlebrooks needs to be more consistent
By Maureen Mullen / Boston Globe
Photo: Will Middlebrooks, who went 2 for 5 in the game, went down looking in the ninth and then gave a look to umpire Vic Carapazza.
Since forcing his way into the lineup, coinciding with the trade of veteran Kevin Youkilis in June 2012, Will Middlebrooks’s tenure with the Red Sox mostly has been marked by question marks, along with trips to the disabled list and trips up and down Interstate 95 on the Boston-Pawtucket shuttle.
He missed 87 games serving two stints on the disabled list this season, with a right calf strain and fractured right index finger. He left last Tuesday’s game after straining his right hamstring beating out an infield single in the fourth inning, and was out of the starting lineup for the next two games.
Last season, he appeared in just 94 games over two major league stints, and lost his starting third base job to Xander Bogaerts in the World Series.
Now, the question Middlebrooks must answer is can he be the Red Sox’ third baseman of the future?
“The jury is still out,” said one major league scout in attendance for the Sox’ 8-6 loss to the Mariners at Fenway Park on Sunday. “He’s a mistake hitter, from what I’ve seen. I’m not sold at all. Not real hard to pitch to with good arms.”
The Mariners swept a three- or four-game series from the Sox at Fenway for the first time in team history.
Middlebrooks entered Sunday’s game batting .190, which isn’t even his low-water mark of the season. Going 2 for 5 he raised his average to .198, the closest he’s been to .200 since he reached that mark on Aug. 8.
But in seven games he played over the just-completed nine-game homestand, he hit .242, going 8 for 33 with two doubles, a run, and four RBIs, raising his average 20 points.
For Middlebrooks, who was once one of the Sox’ most highly acclaimed prospects and for whom predictions of 30-home-run power were not uncommon, these are the kinds of relative improvements that signal progress.
On Sunday, he had a double and three RBIs. He recorded hits in his first two at-bats, off Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma. It was just his third multi-RBI game this season, and the most he’s had in a game since driving in seven on Sept. 25, 2013, at Colorado.
His first and last at-bats of the day represented the enigma that he has become. In the first inning, his two-run single improved his career average to .435 with the bases loaded (10 for 23, 28 RBIs). He is 4 for 6 with seven RBIs with the bases loaded this season.
But in the ninth, with the Sox trailing by two runs, he struck out looking at a Fernando Rodney 97-mile-per-hour fastball for the first out of the inning.
“Balance-wise and everything, he’s been pretty good at the plate,” said hitting coach Greg Colbrunn. “Today he had a couple of good at-bats and hit a couple of balls hard, and came through in a couple of big situations for us. So, hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
What do the Sox need to see from Middlebrooks over the remaining five weeks of the season?
“More of today, multiple hits,” said manager John Farrell. “I thought there was a more middle-of-the-field approach. He takes a slider from Iwakuma early on for the two-RBI single, which I thought was a very good approach for him. He’s not pulling off and when he does that, there’s no denying the strength in the bat. So, a good day for Will.”
What does Middlebrooks want to show?
“I think it’s consistency,” he said. “We’ve all seen it. We know what’s there. I think the biggest thing is my health. Just continue to take care of myself.
“Obviously things that are out of my control are out of my control. But I know when I’m healthy I can impact this type of game and help us win. So I feel like just staying healthy is my biggest thing right now.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/08/24/will-middlebrooks-needs-more-consistent/yK8WUrhyYGObpJn0PM4DkP/story.html
