Carlos Ruiz had a great weekend in the Bronx, going 6 for 8 with a homer and 3 RBI in two games. That included the game-winning double in the 11th yesterday. Since coming off the DL, he's almost doubled his average, to .302. When I used to see him in the minors, at Reading, then at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, he was a good hitter who used the whole field. He seems to have rediscovered that stroke.
Chooch had a great play-off run last year, especially in the World Series. He's a solid defensive catcher and Phillie pitchers seem to like throwing to him. He comes across as mellow guy, but when he gets animated during a game he gets a wildly ferocious expression on his face. It's like he's giving a great big primal growl. You could see it yesterday when he was cutting guys down trying to steal. Even better was his tussle with Johnny Damon, thrown out at the plate by Jayson Werth. Chooch fielded the ball, blocked the plate, then fought off the grappling Damon. Gotta love a guy like that.
