That strikeout Gordon Beckham had with the BASES LOADED in the bottom 8th last night definitely hurt. Had it not been for the fact that the AL Champion Rangers are starting 2 lefties in this series, Beckham would likely be sitting this weekend. Then again, even though Omar Vizquel went 2-for-4 starting at third base last night, Vizquel hadn't been much better than Beckham and Brent Morel respectively. Vizquel came into last night's game in a 2 for 22 funk and whose batting average wasn't much higher than Beckham.
Despite the fact he hasn't been too good vs. lefties this season, I've got to think Beckham will be back in there tonight vs. the Rangers' Matt Harrison and Sunday vs. Derek Holland, but depending on what happens tonight, Beckham might be sitting vs. righty Alexi Ugando tomorrow.
I'm not as down on Beckham as others may be in the wake of last night's 0-for-4 with 2 K's, and I'm not about to give up on him by any stretch. His offense definitely needs a lot of work in the offseason. I would like him to become a lot more patient at the plate, take more pitches and shorten his swing which still appears long, according to what an NL scout noticed in a story the Trib's Mark Gonzales wrote as part of the postgame wrap of last night's loss. Check this out...
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ba ... 3213.story