May 7, 2007
...
The Sox
are 9-0 in games Cora has started, including Sunday's 4-3 win over
the Minnesota Twins in which Cora played shortstop in place of the
slumping Julio Lugo, who is batting .177 (14 for 79) with just four
extra-base hits in his last 20 games. With the Sox not playing
yesterday, Francona took the opportunity to give Lugo a couple of
days off.
Cora is
batting .467 (14 for 30) in his nine starts, with six extra-base hits (2 home
runs, 2 triples, 2 doubles), 8 RBIs, and 8 runs. Overall, he's hitting a
team-high .405. Lugo, meanwhile, has just a .302 on-base average out of the
leadoff spot, the fifth lowest in the league among qualifiers.
Ten Sox
players have pledged to use pink Louisville Sluggers on Mother's Day (Sunday),
bats that will be autographed and auctioned off to benefit breast cancer
research. Last year, Major League Baseball raised $325,000 for the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure Foundation with this initiative.
With
five hits in his last six at-bats, second baseman Dustin Pedroia has improved
his average to .239. Only three AL rookie qualifiers are batting higher than
Pedroia: Devil Rays third baseman Akinori Iwamura (.339, on the DL), Devil Rays
outfielder Delmon Young (.248), and Blue Jays outfielder Adam Lind (.241).
J.D.
Drew's two-run double Sunday was just his fourth hit in 36 at-bats, a .111 pace.
Drew missed two games last week with viral symptoms.
