k-rations

Tyler Moore of the Washington Nationals had struck out three times already on Sunday when he came to the plate to face Pittsburgh’s Bryan Morris in the eighth inning. The Nats led just 3-2, and the Pirates had intentionally walked Adam LaRoche with a man on first base to get to Moore. “It fires you up a little bit, but you can’t blame them,” Moore, the former Mississippi State standout from Brandon, told mlb.com. Moore responded by belting a three-run homer, his first of the season, avoiding the dreaded Golden Sombrero (four K’s) and securing Washington’s win. Moore, who hit 10 homers as a rookie last year, hasn’t had a lot of at-bats in 2013 — and hasn’t done a lot with ones he’s had. He is hitting just .179 and has fanned 18 times in 39 ABs. But, of course, strikeouts don’t seem to matter much in the big leagues anymore, especially for hitters with great power, like Moore demonstrated in that eighth-inning at-bat. Ex-Ole Miss star Seth Smith also has considerable pop. And he’s also battling a strikeout bug. Smith registered two Golden Sombreros last week for Oakland, but he was in the A’s lineup again on Sunday against New York Yankees lefty Andy Pettitte. Smith, a lefty hitter, went 0-for-4 but did not add to his whiff total, which stands at 28 in 99 at-bats. Still, Smith has seen his average fall from .351 to .283 over a 10-game stretch during which he has struck out 17 times. Isn’t there something to be said for putting balls in play?