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Do IT this week: Layering
Left fielder in trade gets three hits in split with Baysox
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Thursday, Jul 10, 2008
He didn't hit a home run.
That's the first thing most Indians fans want to know after Matt LaPorta played his first two games as an Indians minor-leaguer at Double-A Akron Wednesday.
But the new left fielder did combine to go 3-for-6 with three singles in the Aeros' doubleheader split against the Bowie Baysox at Canal Park.
Just two days after joining the Indians organization as the centerpiece of the trade that sent CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers, LaPorta legged out an infield single in the first game and lined two solid shots through the left side in the nightcap.
''It was just another game in a new ballpark with a different team,'' LaPorta said, shrugging off the night's significance.
And the Aeros did hit home runs — second baseman Josh Rodriguez and catcher Wyatt Toregas' homers combined to lead the Aeros to a 3-0 win in the first game before the Baysox came back for a 5-0 win in the second game.
But it was LaPorta on whom many eyes were focused. LaPorta hit 20 home runs at Double-A Huntsville in the Southern League and came to town with rather large expectations for a 23-year-old who has never played above the Double-A level.
''I suppose everyone expects him to hit four homers today,'' Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said before the doubleheader. ''But we just want him to settle in and get comfortable.''
After striking out looking in his first at-bat in the first inning, LaPorta sent a shot back up the middle in his second at-bat in the third.
The ball bounced oddly enough off the mound that he was able to leg out a base hit — but just barely.
Of all the things LaPorta is reported to do well — and there are plenty of them — it's obvious that running with any kind of speed is not one of them.
That is is why LaPorta, 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, is a first baseman by nature. The Brewers converted him to an outfielder because Prince Fielder is their first baseman.
''For now, he's going to be playing left field and hitting in the middle of the lineup,'' Sarbaugh said. ''We are going to be doing some early first-base work just to keep him fresh, but he's going to be an outfielder for now.''
Although he hasn't played much left field, he looked comfortable out there in both games. And as the night wore on, he increasingly looked more comfortable at the plate.
''Going in, it looked like he was trying a little too hard, just trying to do too much,'' Sarbaugh said. ''Then he settled down and had a couple good hits.''
In the second game, the Brewers No.1 pick (seventh overall) in the 2007 draft hit both singles with two outs, the second breaking his bat.
''I haven't played in three or four games, so I was really just going out there trying to get my timing back,'' LaPorta said.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
He didn't hit a home run.
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