Crisp not yet in swing
Frustration grows as average shrinks
When Coco Crisp was asked, should he find himself on third base in today's game, whether he would steal home in honor of Jackie Robinson's famous moment in the 1955 World Series, given the No. 42 that will adorn his uniform, Crisp smiled ruefully.
"If I'm on third base, there's going to be a smile on my face because I'm on base," Crisp said. "Whatever happens after that, it's all right."
With an 0-for-5 outing Friday night leaving his average at just .121, Crisp sank into unhappiness. It was a game that was good for the batting average of just about every Red Sox player.
"I got very frustrated [on Friday] because no success just kind of built up," said Crisp, who went 0 for 3 in yesterday's 8-0 win over the Angels, dropping his average to .111. "It's still early. Now if I was hitting where I'm hitting through a couple hundred at-bats, then it would be different. I'd probably be like, 'Look, it's about time, you need to put somebody else out there.'
"But it's still early. Sometimes you've got to battle through it, try to figure out what's wrong, and fix it."
Since coming to the Sox from Cleveland in January 2006 -- other than the brief period before his finger was injured in the second series of last season -- Crisp has yet to provide much in the way of offense.
Manager Terry Francona has maintained a patient approach with his center fielder, declining to put him on the bench for a game or two (he has started all 10 games this season) in favor of Wily Mo Peña.
"Sometimes you'd like to hit for him because you want him to get a hit so bad," Francona said. "I think the best thing you can do, for me, is not make a big deal out of it. I know he's scuffling. I see that. I feel for him. But keep throwing him out there and keep playing him."
"Defensively, it's fine, it's no problem," Crisp said. "It's going up to the plate and trying to clear your mind and forget about the numbers that are up on the scoreboard. That's the difficult thing about the game. Just go out there and still have the confidence and heart and will to go out there and do your best."
"Why'd you even tell me that?" Hinske said, before acknowledging that he had known about the streak at the end of last season. "I just haven't thought about it. Yeah, it's the weirdest one I've had, that's for sure."
His triple in the third inning extended the streak, during which he's gone 17 for 34, and by the end of the day he had reached base in four of five plate appearances, adding a single and two walks. He's now hitting a robust .800 in five at-bats this season.
"You can be a little anxious or kind of jumpy at the plate," said Hinske, who started in place of first baseman Kevin Youkilis, about the difficulties of being a bench player. "You've just got to see the ball as long as you can, just not be nervous, really. You don't get in there all the time. I just try to prepare myself like I'm going to play every day. I think that helps."
