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| Andrew Vaughn |
Try rookie Andrew Vaughn in the No. 2 spot -- at least against left-handed pitchers.
Vaughn hit the longest home run Aroldis Chapman has ever given up Sunday, and that boosted his season slash line against left-handed pitchers to .290/.436/.645.
On Monday night, St. Louis started left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim. Vaughn, batting seventh in the order, got two hits in three plate appearances against Kim -- a double in the second inning and a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth that turned the game in the Sox's favor.
The Sox were trailing 1-0 at that point, but Vaughn put them up 2-1 by pulling a Kim changeup over the left-field wall. Tim Anderson added a two-run double later than inning to make it 4-1, and the Sox cruised from there.
Lance Lynn (5-1) took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and pitched seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win. Michael Kopech struck out three over two innings of scoreless relief.
But back to the No. 2 spot in the batting order. On Monday, it was occupied by Adam Eaton, who has been in a slump for the past month. He's batting .198/.305/.351 for the season. Not good, and the picture is even worse against lefties. Eaton is 2 for 22 against left-handed pitchers. He hasn't been playing much against them, nor should he be.
Other players who have been tried in the No. 2 spot include Nick Madrigal and Leury Garcia. Let's just say those two extremely aggressive hitters are more suited to the bottom of the lineup.
After Monday's game, Vaughn overall season slash line is .230/.326/.416, so that means he does struggle against right-handers. But, he's mashing lefties, and he sees pitches and takes walks. Why not move him up in the lineup when a favorable matchup for him presents itself?
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