TORONTO – Torey Lovullo believes the element of comfort in an athlete’s success “is a real thing,” and he factors that into his lineups, even if “it’s probably more of a personal mind game” and that objective data might suggest otherwise.
“I have that with Ketel Marte,” said the Arizona Diamondbacks manager. “He likes to hit second against righties and first against lefties. I’ve asked him to hit third many times and he said, ‘I don’t like it.’ He’s one of the best players in baseball and I’m going to listen to one of the best players in baseball. I feel like if we were to put Ketel third at all times, he would probably have the same type of year. For right now, it works, and I want him to hit first or second, for sure. But it’s a real thing. Players get into that head space a little bit, and once you’re there, it’s hard for a player to get out of it, believe it or not.”
To wit, Marte’s career OPS before the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Diamondbacks 8-1 was .862 in 1,133 plate appearances when batting first, .873 in 1,993 plate appearances when hitting second and .754 in 463 plate appearances out of the three hole.
Logic suggests that where someone hits in the lineup should have no meaningful bearing on performance, as it’s not like it changes someone’s swing or the way they see the ball. But through an agnostic lens, while it may not be something, it’s probably not nothing, either.
The Blue Jays, of course, are faced with precisely such a strange split with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. when he hits second or third, which he did for a second straight game Wednesday while walking three times, adding a two-run double in a break-it-open sixth and an RBI single in the seventh.
Addison Barger’s emergence is making it possible and his three hits, including an RBI double in the sixth, and a walk reinforced manager John Schneider’s decision to stick with him between leadoff man Bo Bichette and Guerrero, even against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
Whether it’s signal or just noise may not matter as if it’s producing the right results, well, that’s what the game is all about.
“If hitting third makes his timing better, great, you can hit third as long as you want, Vlad,” is how Schneider joked about it before the game.
Now, finding ways to optimize the roster in the coming weeks is vital as teams enter into the process of internal evaluation ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. Already this season, the Blue Jays have run through 19 position players and 24 pitchers, and it’s worth remembering that Barger was among the spring’s final cuts before pushing his way up into the two-hole.
Similarly, lefty Eric Lauer wasn’t in the mix for any of the final spots on the pitching staff as spring ended but has become an indispensable part of the team in helping paper over Max Scherzer’s absence.
Lauer delivered perhaps his best start yet, holding a potent Diamondbacks lineup to a single run over five-plus innings, striking out eight against four hits and a walk. He now projects as part of the rotation after Bowden Francis hit the injured list and with Max Scherzer on the cusp of returning — he struck out eight in 4.1 shutout innings during his latest rehab start for triple-A Buffalo at Worcester — the Blue Jays could be whole again on that front by next week.
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