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.
As has been the case for much of the season, Dustin Pedroia is the hottest bat in the Boston Red Sox lineup. Not even a couple of days off to welcome his new son into the world could slow down Pedroia.
The Red Sox open a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night, with Alex Cobb tasked with trying to cool down the second baseman's bat. Pedroia has only faced Cobb three times in his career and is yet to get a hit.
Jacoby Ellsbury went 1-for-3 on Sunday and is still cooling down after having his six-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday. Ellsbury was 10-for-27 with a home run and four RBIs during the streak.
Pedroia and the Red Sox, who have been officially eliminated from the
playoffs and are ready to play spoiler for the next 15 games, will aim
to continue producing against the Rays.
Here are the hitting temperatures for the Red Sox and Rays for Monday, Sept. 17.
Boston Red Sox
Dustin Pedroia, 90
Jacoby Ellsbury, 77
Mauro Gomez, 73
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, 72
Pedro Ciriaco, 72
Ryan Kalish, 72
James Loney, 62
Mike Aviles, 62
Cody Ross, 61
Ryan Lavarnway, 60
Jose Iglesias, 59
Daniel Nava, 59
Ivan De Jesus, 54
Scott Podsednik, 52
Tampa Bay Rays
Ben Zobrist, 81
Chris Gimenez, 79
Stephen Vogt, 74
Ben Francisco, 73
Rich Thompson, 72
Ryan Roberts, 72
Sean Rodriguez, 71
Reid Brignac, 70
Carlos Pena, 67
Jose Lobaton, 67
Evan Longoria, 67
Elliot Johnson, 65
Jeff Keppinger, 61
Desmond Jennings, 58
Matt Joyce, 56
Sam Fuld, 56
Jose Molina, 55
Luke Scott, 50
B.J. Upton, 44
