Did Astros outfielder Josh Reddick will himself to hit with a Tweet?
We all know that Josh Reddick is a good hitter, but he can be streaky. Unfortunately, the start of the season prior to the Orioles series has not been kind to him. Reddick only started two of the first four Astros games, with the Rangers pitching three left-handed starters. He did not collect a hit in the first four games.
Considering his limited playing time during the first series, no one really gave it much thought. Sure, he struggled against some left-handed starters, but we need a larger sample size to be concerned. Fortunately for Astros fans, Reddick is his own worse critic. He tried an unconventional way of breaking out of his mini-slump.
Reddick probably took some extra batting practice. He probably also practiced his Rick Flair struts to get pumped up. But he also went to Twitter to break the slump. Before Monday’s home opener, Reddick sent out an interesting Tweet. It repeatedly said, ”I will get a hit.” You can see the Tweet below.
Well, he exercised his demons Monday night by getting his first hit of 2018. In his first three at-bats, he got two walks, but no hits. Then his fourth at-bat, he got a single. The Astros scoreboard still had his batting average as .000 for an inning or so. At the end of the night, he was hitting .111.
Big offensive night last night.
Now last night, Reddick was back home in Woo-ston. Of all the players, Reddick seems to get extra energy from the crowd at home. In the sixth inning last night, the Astros fell behind 4-3 after Adam Jones’ homer off Justin Verlander. But things changed when Reddick crushed a two-run homer to regain the lead.
Once again, the Orioles tied the game, but Reddick was looking to strike again. In the eighth inning, Reddick came up with the bases loaded and crushed a grand slam. This put the Astros ahead for good. This was his second homer of the game. Reddick raised his batting average to .231, but his OPS is 1.067. It’s still early in the season to panic is a player is struggling.
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Reddick not only helped the Astros win with his bat, but also saved a three-run homer with a catch in right field. Was it just a matter of time until he started hitting again? Or did he motivate himself with his Tweet? Who cares, Reddick hitting will help the Astros win many games.
***Stats from MLB.com***