Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay was quick to note in the first half of the season that he was merely riding through a particularly good stretch of hitting, and that's holding true as baseball's first half winds down. The 31-year-old looked like an American League MVP candidate for much of the first half but has cooled down considerably over the past few weeks.

Bay struck out a career-high five times in Wednesday's extra-inning victory over the Baltimore Orioles and is mired in a 2-for-30 slump during which he's fanned 14 times in the last seven games. While the power numbers are still there, with Bay ranking third in the AL with 19 home runs and first with 69 RBIs, the 30-year-old's batting average has dropped to .262.

Though Bay still ranks fifth in the AL in walks, he ...More