HalfSmokes: Not saying anything to the contrary. I'm saying he can get back to his .230 - .250 if he stops being so defensive, looking to be a little opposite field pest, and goes back to the guy who rips at the ball and tries to elevate it with some thump. At this point, i don't even think that means more strikeouts. His Ks are trending negatively the past week, anyway. His average will come up once he goes back to his more natural approach.
Edit - by "take the walks when they come," I mean don't go looking for walks. Go up looking to rip the ball. If a walk happens, great, but don't concentrate on 6 pitch at bats, long counts, and trying for BBs.
So you think he has purposely changed his approach and is not trying to hit for power anymore? If so, that is a major problem. The majority of his offensive value is from his pop (HRs). It seems like he rarely pulls the ball anymore and doesn't square up the ball.
At least he gets to face two LH starters in the LA series
