Editor’s
note: The temperature gauge is a Bill James-created statistic that measures how
hot or cold hitters are. We will spotlight Red Sox and opposing team
temperatures on game days.
On July 18, the New York Yankees were up 10 games on the Baltimore Orioles and
seemed to have all but locked up another American League East title. Apparently
somebody forgot to tell that to Buck Showalter
and his Orioles, who have come storming back and are very much alive in
the pennant race.
Amidst what could be the most epic regular-season collapse in the history of Major League Baseball, several Yankee hitters have been able to stay hot and keep the defending AL East champions in contention for their 18th league title.
Yankee captain Derek Jeter has led the charge over the last 30 games, batting a blistering .360 with seven home runs and 15 RBIs. Ichiro Suzuki has also carried some of the Yankee offense on his shoulders with a batting average of
.325 with a pair of homers over his last 30. The Bronx Bombers have taken a major
offensive hit, though, as first baseman Mark
Teixeira will likely return to the disabled list after rushing
back into the lineup.
The Yankees come to Boston on Tuesday night to face off against a Red
Sox team that has cooled down exponentially over the last month. With the departure of Adrian Gonzalez and the injury to third baseman Will Middlebrooks, Boston has lost its
offensive spark and continues to limp toward the finish line. Despite going 10-27 since Aug. 1, though, there
are some signs of life and reasons to be excited for next season
Dustin Pedroia refuses
to quit and is carrying much of the offensive load for the struggling Sox, batting
a respectable .289 this season and .343 over his last 30 games. Cody
Ross has also been a contributor, driving in 15 runs this past month.
Here are the current Red Sox’ and Yankees’ hitting temperatures:
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 88
Cody Ross, 80
Ryan Kalish, 76
Mauro Gomez, 72
Ivan De Jesus, 69
Daniel Nava, 69
Jose Iglesias, 63
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 63
Jacoby Ellsbury, 62
Scott Podsednik, 60
James Loney, 59
Ryan Lavarnway, 59
Mike Aviles, 56
Pedro Ciriaco, 50
Yankees
Derek Jeter, 93
Russell Martin, 83
Robinson Cano, 83
Alex Rodriguez, 81
Ichiro Suzuki, 79
Steve Pearce, 75
Chris Stewart, 75
Francisco Cervelli, 73
Curtis Granderson, 70
Chris Dickerson, 68
Mark Teixeira, 67
Eduardo Nunez, 67
Casey McGehee, 56
Andruw Jones, 56
Raul Ibanez, 55
Eric Chavez, 52
Jayson Nix, 51
Nick Swisher, 42
