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.
"Hot" is a relative term coming into Saturday's game between the Red Sox and A's, with Boston's hottest hitter, Dustin Pedroia, paling in comparison to Oakland's Josh Reddick, who is absolutely on fire.
But both players will be looking to lead their teams in what could become another slugfest — although the Red Sox hope it's a little less one-sided this time around.
Pedroia is bringing an 11-game hitting streak into Saturday's game, which has bumped his average up to .284, a high since mid-May. Pedroia struggled with some flukey hand injuries earlier this year, but his power and RBI numbers appear to be rounding into shape, and he's the best bet to get the Sox' offense going again.
Reddick, meanwhile, is the definition of hot. He's had 14 hits in his last six games, driving in nine runs on a scorching .500 batting average. He's also had three home runs in the span, bolstering his home run total for the year (28), which is in the American League's top 10.
Brandon Moss (4-for-5 with four RBIs against Boston on Friday night) and Josh Donaldson (home runs in three straight games, three RBIs Friday night) are also hot coming into Saturday.
Here are the temperatures for the Red Sox and A's for Saturday, Sept. 1:
Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 84
James Loney, 82
Mike Aviles, 82
Mauro Gomez, 80
Cody Ross, 73
Jacoby Ellsbury, 69
Ryan Kalish, 69
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 69
Ryan Lavarnway, 66
Scott Podsednik, 65
Pedro Ciriaco, 63
Jose Iglesias, 52
Athletics
Josh Reddick, 102
Brandon Moss, 90
Josh Donaldson, 89
George Kottaras, 85
Chris Carter, 82
Yoenis Cespedes, 81
Cliff Pennington, 79
Adam Rosales, 78
Jonny Gomes, 75
Coco Crisp, 73
Seth Smith, 70
Stephen Drew, 67
Derek Norris, 61
