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.
While much of the talk Saturday will be about who the Red Sox don't have in their lineup anymore, Boston still looks pretty good heading into the evening's rematch with the Kansas City Royals.
Dustin Pedroia has been packing some punch lately, with hits in each of his last four games — including a 4-for-6 night with a home run and 5 RBIs against the Angels.
His counterpart across the diamond, Pedro Ciriaco, also keeps giving reason to include him on the major league roster. He popped four hits of his own against the Angels on Thursday night and was 2-for-4 to open the series against Kansas City, with his two-RBI double putting the Sox in place for the win.
Don't forget David Ortiz, either. Although the Red Sox slugger is likely playing through pain, he had two hits in his first game back from the disabled list and drove in two runs. Big Papi, however, is not listed in Saturday's lineup.
Here are the hitter temperatures for Saturday, Aug. 25:
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia 91
Pedro Ciriaco 89
Scott Podsednik 81
David Ortiz 73
Jacoby Ellsbury 72
Mike Aviles 71
Daniel Nava 65
Cody Ross 64
Mauro Gomez 62
Jarrod Saltalamacchia 58
Ryan Lavarnway 55
Royals
Alcides Escobar 77
Eric Hosmer 74
Jarrod Dyson 72
Salvador Perez 72
Tony Abreu 71
Alex Gordon 70
Brayan Pena 68
Billy Butler 63
Johnny Giavotella 62
Mike Moustakas 58
Lorenzo Cain 51
Jeff Francoeur 49
