Aussie Updates (15-16 June 2008)

The is a cloud hovering over Justin Huber's future at the Padres. It comes in the form of Chase Headly, Padres top prospect thirdbaseman-converted to-leftfielder. There are reports everywhere that he has joined the Padres squad on their roadtrip towards Cooperstown and an Interleague Series in New York. Once Headley is activated to the Padres roster, someone is going to need to move to make way for him. It is widely anticipated that Headley will immediately become the everyday left fielder, which casts the spotlight over Justin Huber, Scott Hairston and Paul McAnulty. Hairston has played way more games this year, and can play centerfield too, so it looks like Huber and McAnulty will battle things out.



Huber is doing all he can to maintain his spot on the Padres roster. He played yesterday, in a game which he was not supposed to. Originally, Scott Hairston was to be the starting leftfielder, but he hyperextended his elbow during batting practice. Huber was there, ready as ever, to step up to the mark.

Huber cracks a homerun in Saturday's game against the Indians

Huber started the game in left, and went 2-for-2. In his first at-bat, in the top of the third, he crushed a solo homerun to leftfield. Check it out on MLB Gameday. In the 5th inning he slapped a single to center, advancing Khalil Greene to scoring position on second. Greene then scored on a Jody Gerut single. Huber was pinch hit for in the seventh. His replacement, Paul MacAnulty, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Huber's contributions were vital, as the Padres had got behind early in the game. His homerun, and his later hit got the Padres in position to tie things up at 3-a-piece. Kevin Kouzmanoff sealed the game in extra innings with a grandslam homer, to put the Pads up 8-3.

Today, Huber had another game, with Hairston still out resting. Whether it was through recognition of his good form, or through a bit of luck due to other injuries in the Padres' lineup, Huber was promoted in the lineup, batting at 6. Today was not as good as yesterday, with Justin striking out 3 times, but he did manage to crack an RBI double to score one of the Padres 3 runs. You can see his shot down the left field line of Indians ace CC Sabathia at MLB Gameday.

So he is certainly not going down without a fight. In the 10 games he has appeared in since 30 May, Huber is 8-for-22 (.364 avg), with 1 homerun and 5 RBI. He is being given a real run for it by the other outfielder likely to lose out in the Chase Headley affair, Paul McAnulty. Over the same period, McAnulty is 8-for-24 (.333), with 3 RBIs. However, McAnulty injured his back today, and may need some time to recover.

In other Aussie MLB news, Grant Balfour pitched 2 innings today in Tampa Bay's 9-3 loss to Florida. He was the only Rays' pitcher not to yield a run. He faced 7 batters, striking out 4 and allowing 1 walk.