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Matheny sits Moss in favor of Martinez
- Updated: September 30, 2016
ST. LOUIS — Having stuck with Brandon Moss throughout his historic September slump, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny acknowledged on Thursday that it’s time for a change. He pulled Moss out of the lineup, replacing the skidding slugger with Minor League journeyman Jose Martinez, making his second career big league start.
With a hitless game on Wednesday, Moss dropped to 7-for-95 with 36 strikeouts since Aug. 27. He’s tallied six of those hits in September, leaving him with the fourth-worst September batting average (minimum 50 plate appearances) in Major League history, at .075. His .298 OPS this month is also the fourth-worst in MLB history for players with a minimum of 75 September plate appearances.
“Just let him breathe,” Matheny said. “Let him get in his own thoughts and get into a better place. Let him get some work if he wants it, or stay away from a bat altogether until we need him late in the game. He needed to flush.”
Even as Moss’ offensive spiral lengthened, Matheny had been hesitant to bench him. In fact, over the last 31 games, Moss started 26 …
