TORONTO – When Christian Bethancourt was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game Saturday, plenty of fans asked via Twitter and other Internet means whether the rookie catcher was injured or if there was another reason he wasn't playing.
No, manager Fredi Gonzalez said, there was nothing wrong with Bethancourt. He just wanted to play veteran A.J. Pierzysnki again Saturday in a favorable matchup against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, whom Pierzysnki had recorded five hits including a homer in 15 official at-bats before Saturday.
He made it six hits and another homer when Pierzysnki led off the fourth inning with a first-pitch homer, the third homer for the 38-year-old catcher in just his fifth game played – all starts — this season. He has hit safely in all of them and driven in at least one run in four of his five starts, his homer Saturday giving him five RBIs. Pierzynski had an RBI single in Friday’s 8-7 win.
The strong-armed Bethancourt has started six of 11 games and batted .182 (4-for-22) with two doubles, two RBIs, two walks and two double plays grounded into.
Gonzalez also had rookie second baseman Jace Peterson out of the lineup for just the fourth time in 11 games Saturday, after Peterson had an RBI triple Friday that was his first extra-base hit and first RBI in 37 major league games with the Padres and Braves.
With the knuckleballer on the mound, Gonzalalez opted to go with veterans who had faced him plenty, giving Alberto Callaspo the start at second base and keeping third baseman Chris Johnson in the lineup.
Callaspo was 3-for-12 against Dickey before Saturday, when he singled and scored on Johnson’s sacrifice fly in the first inning. Johnson was 5-for-18 against Dickey before Saturday.
“Just remember he’s a young kid, a young player in the big leagues,” Gonzalez said of Peterson, batting .214 (6-for-28) with a .290 OBP before Saturday. “We’ve got to kind of bring him along. There’s going to be some highs and lows. But Jonny (Gomes) has got him (under his wing).”
The manager was asked if Peterson were making a positive impact.
“(Heck) yeah,” said Gonzalez, who said recently that Peterson might be the best defensive second baseman he’d had in nine seasons as a big-league manager.
“Now that I’ve seen him a little more, he is (the best defensively),” Gonzalez said Sunday. “He’s really good.”
“(Heck) yeah,” said Gonzalez, who said recently that Peterson might be the best defensive second baseman he’d had in nine seasons as a big-league manager. Sunday, he said, “Now that I’ve seen him a little more, he is (the best defensively). He’s really good.”
