September 21, 2008 Jay Bruce was hit in the hand with a pitch on Saturday, and he is not in the Reds' starting lineup Sunday, according to Reds.com.
Our View:There was no serious damage to Bruce's hand, and manager Dusty Baker is simply being safe.
September 20, 2008 Jay Bruce left Saturday's game against Milwaukee in the sixth inning with an undisclosed injury, according to the AP.
Our View:He was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning, but no details were given regarding the injury.
September 19, 2008 Jay Bruce homered twice against the Brewers on Friday bringing his total to 21 on the year. They were his only two hits of the game.
Our View:September marks his best month since his first although he is hitting just .288. He has seven home runs in 16 games this month.
September 17, 2008 Jay Bruce went deep for the 19th time this year on Wednesday night against the Cardinals and now has driven in 49 runs.
Our View:To close out the 2008 season the rookie Bruce, has hit .304 in September and has had four home runs in the month. With all of the experience he has gained this year he will be primed for a breakout season in 2009.
September 14, 2008 Jay Bruce went deep for the 18th time this season on Sunday as he also knocked in his 48th run of the year for the Reds.
Our View:Bruce has had a fine rookie season (.260-18-48-57-3 in 374) though he has failed to excite much since his amazing start. Still, he is primed to produce some big numbers next season, that is if he can improve his terrible plate discipline (0.32 BB/K ratio).
