Cincinnati Reds decide to give a day off to Ryan Ludwick – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker on Sunday, September 9, decided to give a day off to Ryan Ludwick. With a day of rest, the Reds decided to bring in Xavier Paul to replace the left fielder. The team manager Dusty Baker had his perspective to share about the decision.
In his view, Ludwick has gotten a bit tired and his bat is slowing down. A quick look at last few games stats brings that fact to the fore. It is since August 18 that Ludwick has not hit any homer, something that serves as evidence of the tiredness being alluded to.
"He's played a lot, and I can see his bat slowing down a little bit," Baker said. "There will come a time, if Scotty [Rolen] is not here, I might put somebody else over there to give him some time off. They're starting to pitch him a little differently, too. Word gets around.”
For now, Ludwick is batting .276 starting from August 18. With a .276 average wherein he has 16-for-58 record, the player has been unable to hit any homer.
Ludwick acknowledges that he has been a little bit tired at times.
"I think I've been a little bit tired at times," Ludwick said. "But who isn't tired at this stage of the game? I'm grinding. I think a lot of people worried because I heard a couple of comments, 'You're not hitting home runs.' Well, they come in bunches. It's tough when you're that locked in.”
While the Reds as a whole have been playing extremely well, they expect the batters to keep the offence strong and less vulnerable given the competitive nature of the games ahead. As the playoffs near, the Reds will be looking to Ludwick to perform the way he has been doing previously.
This season, apart from the recent slump, Ludwick has hit 25 homers with 74 RBIs, batting .274. That spark is what the Reds hope Ludwick will get back and put to effective use to keep the offence strong and aggressive against the rival team.
With a day off, it will be interesting to see if Ludwick overcomes his fatigue. The Reds will be hoping Ludwick gets some much needed rest and comes back with renewed energy.
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