Javy Lopez is hitting like never before, and all it took was a slight change in his stance.
On May 10, with his average down to .227, Lopez moved his arms a bit farther back at the plate. He went 2-for-3 against San Francisco with a homer and two RBIs, and hasn’t slowed since.
“At the beginning of the season, it was kind of hard to figure it out, but it only took me that one game to find myself again,” Lopez said.
Since the change, Lopez is hitting .423 with 14 homers and 24 RBIs in 19 games. He missed five games with a sore hamstring during that span, but that didn’t appear to affect his hitting.
A year after hitting a career-low .233 with only 11 home runs, Lopez’s average is up to .314 with 18 homers, tied for third in the National League and easily the best among catchers in the majors.
“I can’t describe how I feel,” he said. “I’m swinging hard and getting to anything around the plate.”
Legal troubles
A wanted man arrested after his parole officer spotted him kissing his girlfriend on the scoreboard at a Cincinnati Reds game pleaded guilty to drug charges Monday. David Horton was sentenced to two years in prison for trafficking and possession of cocaine, and 21/2 years for violating his parole.
Horton and his parole officer attended the May 7 Reds game in which the smooching couple appeared on the “Kiss Cam” at Great American Ball Park. The parole officer and a police officer arrested Horton at his front-row seat.
In Cleveland, Andrew Mendez, 21, was sentenced to three years in prison Monday for throwing an explosive device at Jacobs Field during an Indians game last year. He was convicted April 28 on charges of aggravated arson, assault and three counts of negligent assault.
Red Sox tab Wallace
Dave Wallace, a former pitching coach for the Mets and Dodgers who was working in the Los Angeles front office, was hired by the Boston Red Sox on Monday to be their interim pitching coach while Tony Cloninger takes a leave of absence to fight bladder cancer.
Portland is heard
Three baseball officials planned to meet Tuesday with Portland’s mayor and business leaders to discuss moving the Montreal Expos to Oregon. Portland, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., are bidding for the Expos.
MONDAY’S INTERLEAGUE GAME
RESULTS, SYNOPSIS
Philadelphia 3 at Anaheim 0
W: Padilla (5-7)
L: Washburn (6-6)
S: Mesa (16)
Jimmy Rollins and Jim Thome hit solo home runs in the seventh, and Vicente Padilla allowed five hits in seven solid innings for the Phillies, who played the Angels for the first time.
