Struggling Slugger Pat Burrell Benched For World Series Game 4
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Struggling San Francisco left fielder Pat Burrell was benched for Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night.
Manager Bruce Bochy moved Cody Ross from right field to left to take Burrell's place, while Nate Schierholtz earned his first start of the postseason playing right.
"I talked to him awhile today," Bochy said, referring to Burrell. "It's fair to say he's not seeing the ball. His timing's off."
Aubrey Huff went from first base into the designated hitter role and Travis Ishikawa was set to start in Huff's spot, also Ishikawa's first postseason start.
Bochy said he "slept on it" before deciding to replace Burrell, who struck out in all four of his at-bats in the Giants' 4-2 loss in Game 3 on Saturday night.
Pablo Sandoval, the DH on Saturday, won't start again Monday. Bochy said Sandoval would be available off the bench. He was 0 for 3 with a strikeout and grounded into a double play in Game 3.
Burrell has eight Ks in nine at-bats in the World Series and is 0 for 9 overall. He has 19 strikeouts in 38 at-bats this postseason. He said after Game 3 he wouldn't blame Bochy for making a change.
"My night wasn't good. That's not exactly how you draw it up in your pregame routine," Burrell said. "It's just a bad time to struggle. There's no way around it. I'm getting pitches to hit. I'm just not doing anything with it and chasing some balls off the plate."
Bochy said Burrell would spend extra time in the cage Sunday and would be back in the starting lineup for Game 5 on Monday night in Arlington.
"I've got a lot to do," Burrell said after Saturday's game. "One of the things I need to do is have better at-bats. I chase pitches. You've got to keep it as simple as you can this time of year. I've been doing this a long time and I know what it takes to compete. You've got to be accountable. I think it's as much mental as it is anything else."
The 34-year-old Burrell was the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Phillies in 1998. He signed a minor league deal in late May after his release by Tampa Bay.
He batted .266 with 18 home runs and 51 RBIs in 96 games for the Giants. They called him up June 4 from a short stint with Triple-A Fresno. Burrell is one of six Giants already with a World Series ring, having won one with Philadelphia two years ago.
During the regular season, five of his 18 homers came in the eighth inning or later and seven of those either tied the game or gave the Giants a lead.
"I'm just not feeling comfortable at the plate," Burrell said.
"When you're not feeling comfortable, it's hard to get hits."
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