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June 7, 2008
By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer
BOSTON -- Slumping Dustin Pedroia is being given a day off from the starting lineup, replaced at second base by Alex Cora.
And while manager Terry Francona did not want to term it as a "mental health" day for Pedroia, his feisty infielder hasn't been able to buy a hit over the last two weeks and the frustration is building..
Pedroia, last year's American League Rookie of the Year, is batting a mere .127 (7 for 55) over his last 14 games, plunging his average from .304 to .266, the lowest it has been since he was at .271 on April 12.
Pedroia's troubles have been numerous -- chasing bad pitches, hitting too many balls in the air, the victim of borderline umpire's calls that have put him behind in the count. He also has been a victim of bad luck.
For instance, last Wednesday night, Pedroia thought he had a homer on a slicing drive that replays seemed to indicate went past the Pesky Pole on the "fair" side of the pole. But the ball was called foul.
On Thursday night, Pedroia was robbed of extra bases on a diving catch by Tampa Bay center fielder B.J. Upton. And on Friday night, Pedroia almost had an infield single but at the last moment Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre elected not to try to pick up his weak grounder, and it rolled just foul past the bag.
This is the second day off for Pedroia in a week. He sat out last Monday's game in Baltimore, which was the first game all season in which he did not at least make an appearance.
Posted by Steven Krasner 
at 1:16 PM | Permalink
