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Gaston confident in Hill at the plate
Toronto (48-51) at Seattle (51-47), 10:10 p.m. ET
By Erika Gilbert / MLB.com
07/26/09 6:32 PM ET
TORONTO -- After getting off to the hottest start of his young career, Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill's batting average has fallen back down to almost exactly what it has been over his five years in the Majors.His power numbers, though, have not.
In April and May, Hill batted .333 with 12 home runs. In June and July, he is batting .234, dropping his season mark to .288.
Since the beginning of June, even though his average has taken a hit, Hill has hit another dozen home runs -- needing eight fewer games to accomplish the feat.
Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston believes that Hill is talented and hard-working enough that, as the second baseman gains experience, he will be able to bat for a high average more consistently.
"Hill's going to be a good hitter. He's still learning," Gaston said. "He plays hard every day. He loves to play. He never wants out of there -- always wants to play. As he plays, he learns -- he's going to be able to maintain that average."
While Hill's .288 batting average on the year is within three points of his career mark, his power has improved dramatically this season. His home run total did not hit double digits in his first two years with the Jays before jumping to 17 in his breakout 2007 season.
After missing most of 2008 with a concussion, Hill needed only 73 games to surpass his career high for home runs in a season, breaking Roberto Alomar's club record for dingers by a second baseman in the process.
"The power's come out of nowhere for him, people are telling me, because when he first came up, he really didn't have that power," Gaston said. "But he works out, he takes care of himself, and I think eventually, he's going to be able to maintain that average, too -- once he learns a bit more about hitting."
Hill has been hitting out of the second slot in the team's lineup, and some argue that the Jays are missing out on chances for Hill to drive in more runs by not putting him a little farther down in the order. Gaston, who generally strives for consistency in his lineups, has no plans to move Hill now, but could imagine doing so after this season.
"I guess it depends on who we have here," Gaston said. "I know a lot of people have been begging me to put him in third or somewhere else. But a guy's having a pretty good year -- just leave him alone.
"Maybe next year, when it comes around, you might say, 'Well, who do we have here? What do we have?' Maybe he can drop to the third spot.
"But to change it right now -- sometimes guys think that you want them to do more. And I don't want him to do any more than what he's doing right now, and that's playing hard every day and coming up with some big hits, putting up some good numbers for us."
Pitching matchupTOR: LHP Ricky Romero (8-4, 3.44 ERA)
Romero won his first game in four starts in a 10-6 victory over the Indians on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. He gave up four runs (all earned) on four hits, lasting 5 1/3 innings. He struggled with his command, issuing five walks, which tied a season high. He had only two strikeouts -- tied for the fewest in any start this season. Three of the four runs he gave up came on a sixth-inning home run by Luis Valbuena -- the last batter Romero faced. Of the past 37 earned runs Romero has given up, 23 have come via the home run. He has never faced Seattle. SEA: RHP Felix Hernandez (11-3, 2.45 ERA)
Hernandez hasn't wavered from his status as one of the premier aces in baseball. He's won seven consecutive starts, the most recent coming in a seven-inning effort against Detroit. Hernandez gave up one run on six hits to earn the victory. The 23-year-old right-hander is 7-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his past 11 starts. This is his first start against Toronto this season, but he is 2-1 with a 2.89 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays. Bird Feed
Right-hander Scott Richmond (right shoulder) made his second Minor League rehab start on Saturday, pitching 5 1/3 innings for Triple-A Las Vegas. He gave up three hits and one earned run -- which came on a solo home run -- and struck out five. Gaston said on Sunday that Richmond would likely pitch for the Jays on Friday. ... Rays left fielder Carl Crawford's solo shot in the sixth inning on Sunday snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak by left-hander Brett Cecil -- the second-longest run by a Jays pitcher this year behind Romero's 24. Cecil recorded a quality start for the seventh time in his past 10 starts, and he has not lost over his past six. ... Saturday's 12-inning loss to the Rays was the Jays' seventh consecutive extra-innings defeat, dropping the club's record to 4-10 beyond the ninth inning. Tickets
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• Tuesday: Blue Jays (Marc Rzepczynski, 1-2, 2.82) at Mariners (Jarrod Washburn, 8-6, 2.71), 10:10 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Blue Jays (Roy Halladay, 11-3, 2.62) at Mariners (Ryan Rowland-Smith, 0-1, 3.48), 4:40 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Off-day
Erika Gilbert is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
