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Drew gets a rest

J.D. Drew, who has been slumping after a hot start, is not in the starting lineup today against right-hander Chien-Ming Wang.

Eric Hinske is starting in his place in right field. Part of the reason for that is that Hinske is batting .625 (10 for 16) with two homers, three doubles and three RBI against Wang.

The other reason is that Drew is in a 4-for-31(.129) skid that has dropped his average from .375 to a season-low .278. In the first two games of the series in New York, Drew went 1 for 9 with two strikeouts.

While Drew is available for pinch-hitting duties, the fact that he can have today off from the starting lineup, coupled with tomorrow's off day, will give the oft-injured outfielder extra time to keep his body healthy.

"I asked J.D. how he felt about having two days (off) in a row, would it do him some good, and he said, 'They did that with the Dodgers a lot (last year) and it got my legs under me,' so it (Hinske for Drew) all made sense," said Francona.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 10:53 AM | Permalink