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June 5, 2007
When Wily Mo Pena plays in the outfield, he's kind of a "cross-your-fingers" guy.
If a ball is hit to him, and you worry about the Red Sox' fortunes, you hope he's able to catch the ball, or cut it off, or pick it up without kicking it. But you never know, so you cross your fingers and hope he can make the play cleanly.
When Wily Mo Pena steps into the batter's box, he's a "cross-your-fingers" guy, too.
If there's a right-handed pitcher on the mound and he can throw an offspeed breaking ball, you hope he's able to make contact with one of his wild swings because he has such power when he connects. But you never know, so you cross your fingers and hope the pitcher makes a mistake, because Pena can crush a mistake nine miles.
There was evidence of all of this in Monday's 11-inning loss to Oakland.
Pena, who started in center field because Coco Crisp was dry-heaving in the Boston clubhouse around game time, was unable to cut off a ball in the gap, giving Mark Ellis a two-run triple. But he also made a nice play on a long liner right at home and deep to the warning track, taking extra bases away from Bobby Crosby.
At the plate, he fanned his first two times up, waving weakly at Dan Haren's splitter. But he crushed a hanging splitter for a homer in the seventh and drilled a game-tying single in the ninth.
"I just have to be ready," said Pena, who is in the starting lineup again tonight, in right field.
"I've been working hard every day to stay ready. I take fly balls in center some days, in left and right other days. I'm feeling good in the field and at the plate," said Pena, who has started six of the last eight games.
-- Steven Krasner
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 7:38 PM | Permalink
