MLB: Kent thriving batting ahead of Manny

Somebody, anybody...please send the Dodgers a copy of “The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball.” Thank you.

Coming into Thursday night’s game, Kent was batting .500 (13-for-26) with a home run, four doubles, eight RBIs and a .567 on-base percentage as the 3-hole hitter, raising his overall average from .256 to .273. Russell Martin preceded Kent as the third hitter in Ramirez’s first five games as a Dodger and hit .217 (5-for-23).

“Kent’s the perfect example of a guy who knows what to do with a pitch you can hit,” said manager Joe Torre. “What I’m seeing in Jeff, he’s not going out of the strike zone, like we’ve seen when he knew he’s the one we have to count on.

“A big part of getting your pitch is who’s protecting you. Jeff feels responsible, whether he’s naked or surrounded by Manny. I’m just giving my perspective. It’s been a benefit to the two guys who back-to-back have been a force in this game.”

..."When it was Barry and I, we absolutely couldn’t have done it without the people ahead of us and those picking up in back,” said Kent. “That’s why I believe in a group of guys. It’s better to have run producers behind a bunch of guys who can get on base. A group of guys getting on base are more valuable than relying on one or two or three guys. It’s true that hitters feed off each other.

“Personally, I’d rather bat deeper in the order. Manny could bat third, because you want your best hitter batting in the first inning. It’s only a few games, but with Manny, we’re absolutely improved. We haven’t had a player like Manny here. Whether he can sustain it, we’ll see. As long as he can, we haven’t had an addition like that before.”