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.
James Loney hasn't been with the Red Sox for very long, but he's quickly making himself right at home in the team's lineup.
A day removed from his first time in the Red Sox cleanup spot — where he went 3-for-4 with a home run — Loney is batting .412 in his five games so far with Boston, and has raised his season average already from .254 to .262 in less than a week. He might not have a spot long-term on the Red Sox roster, but he's certainly doing his part to make any decision at the end of this season a tough one.
In the other dugout, Josh Reddick is continuing to haunt the Red Sox with his hitting this year. Friday, he'll do it up close. In his last five games, the A's right fielder is batting a crazy .522, to go with two home runs and five RBIs. Reddick only hit seven homers last year with the Red Sox, but has 27 this year… and counting.
Below are the temperatures for the Red Sox and Athletics on August 31.
Red Sox
James Loney, 92
Mike Aviles, 85
Mauro Gomez, 83
Dustin Pedroia, 82
Jacoby Ellsbury, 71
Cody Ross, 69
Ryan Kalish, 68
Ryan Lavarnway, 65
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 63
Pedro Ciriaco, 62
Scott Podsednik, 61
Jose Iglesias, 50
Athletics
Josh Reddick, 96
Chris Carter, 83
Coco Crisp, 83
Josh Donaldson, 83
Yoenis Cespedes, 74
Jonny Gomes, 71
Adam Rosales, 71
Brandon Moss, 69
Seth Smith, 69
Cliff Pennington, 68
Stephen Drew, 67
George Kottaras, 64
Derek Norris, 60
