After a day of a bit of noise in the media about some of the problems the Arizona Diamondbacks are currently having, they are set to send Ian Kennedy to the mound to try and lead the team to a win and even the series against the Colorado Rockies. A player that is conspicuously absent from the starting lineup is rightfielder Justin Upton, who is batting only .243 with five home runs this season.
Earlier in the day, manager Kirk Gibson said on a local radio show that he might sit Upton for three, four or even five days to try and get his head right.
When asked about it, he said, "It's day by day right now. He's not playing today. He might not play tomorrow. We have an offday the next day. I knew today I wasn't going to play him."
Was the day off to work on things or just to sit back and rest? "I hope he does no work today," Gibson answered. "He's struggling with the bat and it's not because he hasn't taken enough swings."
Gibson knows Upton has been pressing and feeling frustrated.
"I think he's overthinking," he continued. "I think he's overtrying and things aren't coming naturally for him. He's tried a lot And he's a little lost in who he really is. And he's very frustrated as you can see."
Owner Ken Kendrick went as far as to call him "an enigma" on the radio, saying that at age 24, the team needs him to be that guy in the lineup.
Gibson was a little more understanding, yet did not understate the need for him to be successful. "You hate to put so much importance on a guy," he said. "He's obviously very important to our success."
Could Gibby give some personal advice about coming out of a slump? "There's no clear cut answer," Gibby explained.
"People like to play their way out of it. Some people take breaks. Some people have been sent to the minor leagues. People have gone on the DL because certain things miraculously show up."
For now, since Upton has been working really hard, it looks like down time is what they are going to try.
Here are the starting lineups for Tuesday's game:
Rockies:
- Dexter Fowler, CF
- Marco Scutaro, SS
- Carlos Gonzalez, LF
- Michael Cuddyer, RF
- Todd Helton, 1B
- Jordan Pacheco, 3B
- Wilin Rosario, C
- D.J. LeMahieu, 2B
- Jeremy Guthrie, P
Diamondbacks:
- Gerardo Parra, RF
- Willie Bloomquist, SS
- Jason Kubel, LF
- Miguel Montero, C
- Chris Young, CF
- Lyle Overbay, 1B
- Josh Bell, 3B
- Aaron Hill, 2B
- Ian Kennedy, P
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