Todd Walker says he isn't going to the bench without a fight.

"During the time when I wasn't getting any hits a week ago, Dusty and I sat down and he said 'I know you know Grud's coming back, there's nothing you can do about it,'" Walker said. "In my mind, I thought, 'Yeah, there is, you know?' So we'll see."

Walker came into Tuesday's game hitting .286 with 10 homers, 25 RBIs, 40 runs scored and a .373 on-base percentage, third among the current regulars. But the job belongs to Grudzielanek, as Baker explained to Walker.

Since the day Walker was signed he has been the best option at 2nd base, and he has proven that in his playing time. Projected over a full season Walker would have 101 runs, 25 HR's, and 63 RBI mostly from the leadoff spot. That is pretty damn good for a guy who should be batting #2 or #3.

But the single most important thing Walker does is work counts, like a leadoff hitter should do. Rickey Henderson always understood the role of the leadoff hitter. His job was to battle the pitcher at the beginning of the game so the rest of his team could judge how good the pitcher was that day. He said if he could get the pitcher to throw all of his out pitches and he struck out he did his job anyways. At least the team has an idea of what to expect.

Walker see's about 4.01 pitches per at bat this season and about 3.75 over his career which is pretty good.

Grudz last year saw about 3.53 pitches per at bat, and 3.43 over his career. To put that into perspective Patterson see's about 3.33, and Macias 3.53.

If you want to hurt the team you play Grudz, if you want to field the best team that makes you win, you play Walker. But it is never that simple in Dusty Town. Look for him to screw this one up.