Monday Update

• David Wright had a good day today, notching an RBI in a Mets win over the Phillies. However, Wright hasn't enjoyed many good days at the plate since his torrid first half. Looking over the splits, the discrepancy between Wright's first-half numbers and his numbers since the All-Star break is glaring. Pre All-Star, Wright posted a line of .316/.386/.575 with 20 home runs. Since then the Mets' third baseman is hitting .241/.331/.358 with only two home runs. Essentially, a third of Wright's production has been shaved off. Since posting a 1.049 OPS in June, Wright has steadily declined, case in point being his .563 mark in August. Around the trade deadline much was made of Bobby Abreu's atrophied skillset and the home run derby's effect on his power numbers. It appears David Wright may have the same problem to a much greater degree. Wright hasn't been horrible in the on-base department, but his .358 slugging percentage since the break speaks volumes about his power struggles. Wright's difficulties lead me to wonder why we heard so much about the "failure" that was Alex Rodriguez and his .694 OPS in June. Could be the salary, but still...I'd rather be a Yankee fan than a Mets fan right now.

• The Red Sox have their backs against the wall tonight as they head to Oakland for the first of three. Tonight has bad news written all over it for the Sox considering Jon Lester has been scratched and is being replaced by emergency callup Kason Gabbard. True, Lester hasn't been good in a few starts, and the rest is probably a good call after taking into account the hopelessness of the Red Sox' situation. Boston will have its hands full against Esteban Loaiza tonight. The usually horrible Loaiza has been strangely outstanding of late, heading into tonight hoping to finish August without a loss. Loaiza has held hitters to a .229 batting average in the last month, ceding only 1.77 earned runs per nine innings. After stringing together three months worth of atrocious pitching and effectively scutting the A's chances every fifth day, Loaiza's hot streak has helped the A's take a strong hold of the AL West playoff spot.