azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
With only the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 spots of the Diamondbacks’ batting order settled at the start of Cactus League play, manager Bob Melvin figured to be a mad lineup professor of sorts.
Expected to experiment with a number of combinations, Melvin instead has pretty much stuck to the first one he used: with Craig Counsell leading off, Royce Clayton in the second spot and Jose Cruz Jr. sixth. On Tuesday, he said that — barring an injury — Arizona will likely take that lineup into the regular season.
"We’re starting to settle into a lineup that, even though it was the one we started with, it really looks like the one we will have," Melvin said. "Unless something (surprising) happens, I’m comfortable with that lineup."
Luis Gonzalez in the No. 3 hole, Troy Glaus at cleanup and Shawn Green in the fifth spot have long been penned in. That leaves Chad Tracy batting seventh and whoever wins the starting catching job — Koyie Hill or Chris Snyder — at No. 8.
Counsell, Clayton and Cruz producing in their spots during Cactus League contests has helped make Melvin comfortable.
"Counsell has been on base at around a .400 clip, and Clayton has settled into the second spot on a basis that, even on days he isn’t swinging the bat well, he’ll give you something intangibly," Melvin said. "His awareness for hitting in the No. 2 hole is evident."
Gonzalez said he feels the production from the top of the order is perhaps the most impressive facet of the offense this spring.
"They’ve been great at the top of the order," Gonzalez said. "If Craig and Royce keep doing what they’ve been doing in spring training, it’s going to make our job in the middle easier, with guys to drive in all the time."
Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, Counsell was batting .324 (11-for-34) with a .378 onbase percentage. He kept rolling at Tempe Diablo Stadium, reaching base four times and scoring twice.
"The way I look at it, I don’t consider myself settled in," Counsell said. "Right now, leadoff is where I’m hitting, and I’ll do my best to stay there. As a leadoff hitter, the team’s performance pretty much dictates if you’ll stay there or not."
Since the Diamondbacks — along with a growing number of teams — lack a prototype leadoff hitter, Counsell and Cruz were the leading candidates before spring training. Counsell’s success at No. 1 enabled Melvin to place Cruz in an RBI spot.
"I’m not too picky," Cruz said. "I’ll go about things the same way, but (the sixth spot) is nice. I’ll have some good batters in front of me, so it’s a great opportunity to drive in runs."
Cruz, who had an RBI double and sacrifice fly on Tuesday — he batted in the third spot because Gonzalez had the day off — is a switch-hitter, which Melvin likes in between left-handers Green and Tracy.
"Cruz is a perfect way to split Tracy and Green up," Melvin said. "If (a left-handed pitcher) is going to go after Green and Tracy, he’s going to have to go through Jose on the right side."
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38408
With only the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 spots of the Diamondbacks’ batting order settled at the start of Cactus League play, manager Bob Melvin figured to be a mad lineup professor of sorts.
Expected to experiment with a number of combinations, Melvin instead has pretty much stuck to the first one he used: with Craig Counsell leading off, Royce Clayton in the second spot and Jose Cruz Jr. sixth. On Tuesday, he said that — barring an injury — Arizona will likely take that lineup into the regular season.
"We’re starting to settle into a lineup that, even though it was the one we started with, it really looks like the one we will have," Melvin said. "Unless something (surprising) happens, I’m comfortable with that lineup."
Luis Gonzalez in the No. 3 hole, Troy Glaus at cleanup and Shawn Green in the fifth spot have long been penned in. That leaves Chad Tracy batting seventh and whoever wins the starting catching job — Koyie Hill or Chris Snyder — at No. 8.
Counsell, Clayton and Cruz producing in their spots during Cactus League contests has helped make Melvin comfortable.
"Counsell has been on base at around a .400 clip, and Clayton has settled into the second spot on a basis that, even on days he isn’t swinging the bat well, he’ll give you something intangibly," Melvin said. "His awareness for hitting in the No. 2 hole is evident."
Gonzalez said he feels the production from the top of the order is perhaps the most impressive facet of the offense this spring.
"They’ve been great at the top of the order," Gonzalez said. "If Craig and Royce keep doing what they’ve been doing in spring training, it’s going to make our job in the middle easier, with guys to drive in all the time."
Heading into Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, Counsell was batting .324 (11-for-34) with a .378 onbase percentage. He kept rolling at Tempe Diablo Stadium, reaching base four times and scoring twice.
"The way I look at it, I don’t consider myself settled in," Counsell said. "Right now, leadoff is where I’m hitting, and I’ll do my best to stay there. As a leadoff hitter, the team’s performance pretty much dictates if you’ll stay there or not."
Since the Diamondbacks — along with a growing number of teams — lack a prototype leadoff hitter, Counsell and Cruz were the leading candidates before spring training. Counsell’s success at No. 1 enabled Melvin to place Cruz in an RBI spot.
"I’m not too picky," Cruz said. "I’ll go about things the same way, but (the sixth spot) is nice. I’ll have some good batters in front of me, so it’s a great opportunity to drive in runs."
Cruz, who had an RBI double and sacrifice fly on Tuesday — he batted in the third spot because Gonzalez had the day off — is a switch-hitter, which Melvin likes in between left-handers Green and Tracy.
"Cruz is a perfect way to split Tracy and Green up," Melvin said. "If (a left-handed pitcher) is going to go after Green and Tracy, he’s going to have to go through Jose on the right side."
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38408
