No, he isn’t a savior, but Jay Bruce continues to delight and amaze. Bruce hammered out four more hits last night, and he is now hitting .571, with an OBP of .684 and an SLG of .786. Yes, boys and girls, Jay Bruce has an OPS of 1470 after four games.

Wow.

Everyone is noticing that something special is happening in Cincinnati, says John Fay:

The Bruce effect? The Great American crowd was 37,015 with a walk-up of 5,298.

The Reds are 3-1 since Bruce’s arrival.

“When Jay Bruce got on (in the 11th),” Phillips said, “I knew we were going to win the game. Either I was going to do something or (Adam Dunn).”

Says Dusty Baker:

“He ain’t up here to paint,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “He’s up here to play. That’s why most guys that come up here I play right away, because they were hot (Bruce was hitting .364 in Class AAA Louisville). The first week you’re up here is one of the best times. (Teams) try to find your Kryptonite. Right now, he doesn’t have any.”

Indeed.

So, what does Bruce have to say about all this? Well, he has been extraordinarily humble about everything, but I loved this quote:

“Winning is fun,” Bruce said. “That’s something I think we’ll be doing a lot more of.”

We hope so, Jay. We hope so.

(Oh yeah, Edinson Volquez continued to be simply outstanding again yesterday. This is a recording.)

The kryptonite would be his manager asking him to bunt.



Comment by Y-City Jim — 5/31/2008 @ 1:01 pm

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I was at the game last night, the place was electric every time Jay came up to bat…I’ve never experienced anything like it.

Comment by Bill — 5/31/2008 @ 1:59 pm

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it’ll be nice for the nation (or at least part of it) to see a packed house in cincy on national television today. i really wish i could be there today.

Comment by daedalus — 5/31/2008 @ 2:01 pm

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I think the legend just grew a bit today.

Comment by nick in va — 5/31/2008 @ 9:38 pm

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[…] Rookie Phenoms Rule the Week: Between the debuts of Clayton Kershaw and Jay Bruce (I’m still pissed about the walk-off last night against my Braves) two heralded rookies showed their chops right from the outset.  Both of these kids have bright futures, but let’s not forget they are rookies–struggles will come. […]

Pingback by Sunday Smattering at Heard in the Cheap Seats — 6/1/2008 @ 9:16 am

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As a Braves fan, I can’t say I am thrilled with the start of Bruce, as they had to bear the brunt of his debut magic. I can tell you this though, Bruce is a special player. Rarely does a player come along with his skill set and composure to boot. He will probably endure some rookie struggles as all do, but in the end, he will turn into a fine player.

Comment by Chris Iafolla — 6/1/2008 @ 1:23 pm

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