ANGELS NOTEBOOK: FULLMER TRYING TO GET INTO SWING OF THINGS.Byline: Joe Haakenson Staff Writer OAKLAND - The Angels acquired Brad Fullmer Bradley Ryan Fullmer is a major league baseball player who bats left handed and throws right handed. He was born January 17, 1975 in Chatsworth, California. Fullmer last played at the Major League level during the 2004 season with the Texas Rangers. from the Toronto Blue Jays "Blue Jays" redirects here. For other uses, see Blue Jay (disambiguation).. The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. in a trade for pitcher Brian Cooper during the offseason to fill their void at the designated-hitter spot. But until their series opener against the Oakland A's on Thursday, Cooper had as many RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in as Fullmer this season - zero. Fullmer finally got on the board Thursday with a sacrifice fly. ``I can't create opportunities,'' said Fullmer, who averaged 94 RBI in the past two seasons with Toronto. ``It just so happens that I haven't had many opportunities with men in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on . Coupled with the fact I'm not swinging great ... what can you do?'' Fullmer, who went into Friday's game hitting .222, always seems to have a bat in his hands before, during and after games. He's a regular in the batting cage Noun 1. batting cage - a movable screen placed behind home base to catch balls during batting practice cage baseball equipment - equipment used in playing baseball . ``I'm trying to get shortened up, be short and compact (with his swing),'' said Fullmer, who played at Montclair Prep in Van Nuys. ``I just want to be consistent with my swing. That's all I'm trying to work on right now.'' Fullmer hit No. 3 in the lineup Friday for the third time in a row, which is fine with him. ``I think Brad is swinging better now, he just doesn't have a lot to show for it,'' manager Mike Scioscia Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name. ) Garret (Anderson) that are going to be productive. With so many guys not on their game offensively, Brad makes sense right now.'' --Salmon returns to lineup: Scioscia said Thursday that sitting right fielder right fielder n. Baseball The player who defends right field. Noun 1. right fielder - the person who plays right field outfielder - (baseball) a person who plays in the outfield Tim Salmon for more than a game at a time was a consideration, but after missing Thursday's game against the A's, Salmon was back in the lineup Friday batting seventh. ``When a guy is struggling, you look for opportunities to get him to stop beating his head against the wall,'' Scioscia said. ``Our dilemma is you want to get a guy enough at-bats to work his way out of it, but we still need production in the short term.'' Salmon went into Friday's game hitting .143 with no homers and three RBI, but Scioscia doesn't want to make Salmon's status a daily issue. ``It's not going to be a case where Tim Salmon comes in every day wondering if he's playing,'' Scioscia said. ``But I know we need to get production from some guys and not just Tim. ``If he's swinging the bat well, it's not going to be an issue. If he does struggle, we're going to mix and match.'' ANGELS vs. OAKLAND Time: 1:05 p.m., Network Associated Coliseum. TV/Radio: No TV; 570-AM, 1090-AM (Spanish). Matchup: RH Kevin Appier (1-1, 2.37 ERA) will start for Anaheim against Oakland LH Barry Zito (0-1, 3.38). Appier, from Antelope Valley, and Zito, from Pierce College and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , hooked up last Sunday in Anaheim, with Appier and the Angels winning 4-1. The Angels have had success against left-handed starters this season, going 3-1. The Angels' home run total of six going into Friday's game was fewer than Lance Berkman (8) and Barry Bonds (8), and as many as Richie Sexon, Jim Edmonds, Sammy Sosa, Eric Chavez, Robin Ventura and Alex Rodriguez. - Joe Haakenson CAPTION(S): box Box: ANGELS vs. OAKLAND (see text) |
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