Levine: Concerned about Pence

Which I think we all should be. Anyhow, Levine's blog post this morning has to do with a surging Michael Bourn and a fading Hunter Pence.

"The right fielder is in a tailspin, both in the lineup and the statistics. He's now a No. 7 hitter and since the All-Star break, he's hitting .245 with a .753 OPS compared to .295 and .839 before.

He's healthy and has been streaky his whole brief career, and as such, we still don't really recognize a true Hunter Pence. If he continues this slide, I'd be a little more concerned if I'm an Astros fan about the true Hunter Pence.

Pence is looking at arbitration eligibility after this season, and the last month could have a lot to do with his value and whether it might make more sense to lock him up through his arbitration years."

What's he been doing on this road trip?

Sept 1 @CHC
9th inning: Single to CF
7th inning: Groundout to 3B
4th inning: Walk
2nd inning: GIDP to SS

Aug 31 @ CHC
8th inning: Lineout to SS
6th inning: Single to CF
4th inning: Walk
2nd inning: GIDP to 2B

Aug 30 @ ARI
8th inning: K (swinging)
7th inning: Single to CF
4th inning: K (swinging)
2nd inning: Flyout to RF

Aug 29 @ ARI
9th inning: K (looking)
7th inning: Walk
5th inning: Single to CF
2nd inning: Flyout to RF

Aug 28 @ARI
8th inning: HR to left-center
6th inning: Double to LF
4th inning: Groundout to SS
2nd inning: K (looking)

Aug 27 @StL
9th inning: Groundout to SS

Aug 26 @StL
8th inning: Flyout to CF
6th inning: Groundout to SS
4th inning: Single to CF
1st inning: Lineout to 2B

Aug 25 @StL
9th inning: Groundout to SS
6th inning: Groundout to 1B
4th inning: K (swinging)
1st inning: Groundout to 3B

First, here are your basic stats. 29 PAs: .269/.345/.423. 5K:3BB. Nine groundouts, three flyouts, two lineouts. 21 balls in play, 14 to the middle of the field, four to the left side, and three to the right side.

Of his seven hits in this road trip, five were singles to CF, one was a homer to left-center, and one was a double to left (notice a trend?). He's had nine groundouts: Six to the middle of the field, two to the left side, and one to the right side.

So it looks like, from here, that he's hitting the ball squarely, or pulling it. There's just nothing to the right side. To say that, in 29 PAs, he has had three ABs that he has taken the ball to right field is pretty incredible.