Toronto Blue Jays Fred Lewis is backed off by a pitch and then gestures to umpire in the eighth inning of their MLB baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Toronto June 2, 2010.FRED THORNHILL/Reuters
He went from being a possible heir to Barry Bonds to a centre fielder and leadoff hitter, and then started moving up and down and all around the San Francisco Giants lineup.
"Sometimes," Fred Lewis said Wednesday, "it seemed as if they were, I don't know, trying to force the power out of me."
And that's the thing with Lewis, whose emergence as the Blue Jays leadoff hitter after being acquired from the Giants on April 15 for a player to be named later has been one of the dominant subplots in an unexpected 2010 season. He's nothing and all things to baseball people at the same time: numbers guys; guys who drool over athleticism. He is, as Blue Jays hitting coach Dwayne Murphy said, "The type of guy coaches want to just hit the ball on the ground and use his speed."
"That's not me," Murphy said. "I want him to take that nice swing, because he hits the gaps and hits the ball hard. There's a lot of doubles and triples in that swing. He can do a lot more than just slap the ball on the ground and run."
We will see, of course. This, after all, is the American League East, not the National League Whatever. The second and third time 'round here can be messy. Take closer Kevin Gregg, who nibbled his way into a game-costing implosion Tuesday in a 7-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays that had a faint whiff of significance that was only more intense after Wednesday.
After his third blown save and second loss of the season, suspicions are that Gregg's stuff isn't up to the task of closing in the AL - and Gregg's difficulties facing the same team (any team) on back to back nights are worrisome. All three blown saves and both losses have come in that scenario, and the Blue Jays noticed two things about Tuesday's loss: first, home plate umpire Angel Hernandez did not deserve the abuse he took from Gregg, who was ejected on his way out of the game. Those borderline pitches were balls. Second, the Rays went from being aggressive and jumpy against him on Monday to patient. Pitching coach Bruce Walton, for one, took note.
Of course, manager Cito Gaston could avoid using Gregg in those situations. That's a helluva wrinkle to introduce into the strategic thinking of a manager already under scrutiny for his, um, "exuberant" use of middle relievers in Tuesday's loss. But it must now surely be on the table. Moving left-hander Brian Tallet to the bullpen would allow Gaston a chance to use Scott Downs along with Gregg in a tandem closing role because, frankly, Jason Frasor doesn't inspire any more confidence than Gregg.
These series within the AL East are telling, aren't they? Lewis went into Wednesday's game with 19 doubles, tops among Major League leadoff hitters and just one behind teammate Vernon Wells for the American League lead. Despite playing in just 41 of his teams 54 games, Lewis led AL leadoff hitters in slugging and extra-base hits (25), and with his leadoff single Wednesday was 6-for-9 leading off the last nine games. Yeah, his game's a mixed bag - his defence is erratic, and on Tuesday he lost track of the number of outs.
"I can see sometimes that he needs some work here or there, but I think that's something that whoever's here next year will address," Gaston said. "The only thing we've told Fred is that when the ball's hit right at you, just make sure you go to your strong side."
When Lewis joined the Blue Jays, Gaston asked him where he'd be most comfortable. Leadoff? Well, all right then. For now, Lewis is an everyday player. "Just looking for a pitch in a certain zone," he said, shrugging. "Just drivin' it when I get it. I just like playing - but I like the AL."
Murphy does have one worry about Lewis: "He's in the cage every single day," Murphy said. "He does his routine - his flips, his tee work - and today I made a comment to him about maybe shortening it up a little bit, because he spends a lot of time and takes a lot of swings. I know he hadn't played every day when he was with the Giants, but I told him, 'Now that you play every day, you can't have those big, long sessions in the cage because you eventually get tired.' "
Lewis will have enough to deal with. This is the AL. The AL East. And you don't win this sucker with smoke and mirrors.