Gary Matthews Jr. pleasantly surprised me yesterday hitting in the lead-off spot. I'm not as negative about the trade as others but I just didn't see him as a lead-off hitter. However, what Pagan was missing is exactly what Matthews showed; Baseball smarts...Matthews went 2-2 with a walk, three runs and an RBI. More importantly he ended up on 2nd base because he was running the entire time on a routine fly ball that the Florida wind caught. Then while at third, on a fly ball that was too short to score, he drew a throw that caused an error which allowed him to score. It's only one game in spring training, but if this is what Matthews can do in the lead off spot then I could be comfortable with him and Pagan filling the spot until Beltran returns both in the field and at the plate. There was also a rumor yesterday that the Reds were interested in Matthews if we didn't have room for him. However; by the end of the day that rumor had been disputed by the organization. M...
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