Leyland giving hot-hitting Eldred his shot

NEW YORK -- Jim Leyland is going to give Brad Eldred a shot to show he can take his hot start from Triple-A Toledo and translate it to the big leagues. But Leyland doesn't need a scouting report on what to expect from him.

"One thing that's very obvious: He knows what that bat's for," Leyland said. "He's going to swing it. When he centers it, it goes a long way, and sometimes he's going to miss it. That's basically what it is.

"Basically, we had one of the hottest hitters, maybe ever, in the Minor Leagues. Take a shot. Bring him up here and run him out there. I'm not going to put a timetable on it, but I think you run him out there until you think that he can or can't do it."

Eldred continued his hot start from an average standpoint with two hits in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees, but nothing close to a home run. He was back in the starting lineup Saturday.

"If you're ever pulling for somebody, you're pulling for him because he's a great kid," Leyland said. "You like to see good things happen to guys like that."