Jay Bruce Approach Stays The Same But Finding Holes

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It is no secret that Jay Bruce is not having a good season.

There are many reasons for it explainable and otherwise but many have focused on the existence of an extreme shift that has been used more often in baseball.

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The "experts" on twitter and talk radio insist that the 26-year old rightfielder change his approach, to hit the ball to the left side more often and defeat the shift.

Bruce had two singles through the left side of the infield on Monday in Cleveland.  He hit into a force play to the secondbaseman in short rightfield, lined out deep to left and hit a rocket down the firstbase line that Carlos Santana snagged.

Manager Bryan Price suggested that the approach of his players has always been to take the ball up the middle.

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"Out approach as a general rule is to be in the middle of the diamond," Price said.  "We try to stay in the middle of the field.  I wish I could answer that question better.  I know that he has take advantage of some pitches our over the plate.  Three of his last four hits have been to the leftside or the middle of the diamond and beat the shift.  In his last two at bats there was a change in the way they (Indians) set their defense in the infield.  You're probably better off asking him if there was an intent to do that.  I just know that he has been taking the pitches out over the plate to the middle rather than pull them."

So the question went out to Bruce.  Was it a new approach or is it a simple matter of getting pitches that he could take to the left side or up the middle?

"It is definitely not a change in approach.  That is the approach that I work on all the time. I think the pitches had something to do with it.  It is just executing better, honestly," Bruce said.  "It is just taking what they give you and not trying to force things to happen. It is really committing and staying with the approach.  My approach is not to hit a groundball to the shortstop. I put some good swing on the ball.  The best ball I hit all night was the one Aviles (leftfielder) caught. In the last inning I hit a curveball hard that Santana caught. It is the same approach.  It is just buying into it and always realizing that I have more time than I think I have.  I don't have to rush; just take what the game gives you."

Bruce is hitting .219 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI which are way off his career averages for a season.  Knee surgery in June may have had an effect but Bruce won't use that as an excuse.

"It hasn't been a good year for me but I'm going to keep going and finish up strong," Bruce said.