Miguel Cairo is slugging .235 this season. Jose Vidro is slugging .326, but not lately. He's another guy with one extra-base hit in eons. How about Jeremy Reed, then?

After today's game, Reed is hitting .307 and slugging .413. Not exactly the slugging percentage of a first baseman, but better than what this team has out there now.

Reed is showing he can play every day. That was a huge concern when he was called up, but he seems to be acquitting himself well.

There is a more obvious solution to the team's first base woes. Raul Ibanez made a fantastic catch in left field today, sliding in the dirt to snare a potential extra-base hit down the line and save a run against for Erik Bedard. Ibanez is doing his best to motor out there. He still has some reflexes in the field. Some smarts, too, which enables him to anticipate and get to places without the fastest legs around.

But he is still miscast as a left fielder. Maybe not in the past, but this season, yes. What I've seen, though, shows me he still has the reflexes and brains to play a position -- like first base. And I'd like to see him do it -- soon. I think he can still play the game when he doesn't have to sprint 30 yards to catch a ball. You don't have to do it at first base.

There is an idea being floated out there that Ibanez has resisted this potential change. That's nonsense. I've had discussions with Ibanez on this topic and he has never refused any idea the team has put his way. He just wants to play every day, whether it's as a left fielder, a DH or as a first baseman. If anything, he's done this team a favor by going out every day and trying not to hurt the club by playing a position he's not suited for any more.

He's waited for this team to get its act together and find the replacement pieces to play the outfield. First, it was a concern that Reed couldn't play every day. That's not an issue right now. It may be down the road, but not right now. So far, Reed can play.

Then, it was the fact Wladimir Balentien couldn't hit. He's down in Class AAA trying to sort that one out. Despite what I've seen written here on comments pages, not all stud minor leaguers carry their numbers over to the big leagues as quickly. We're all still waiting on Jeff Clement, Balentien and Adam Jones in Baltimore to do just that. But Balentien doesn't have to be a superstar up here. Just hit with a little consistency.

Once that happens, you bring him back up, stick him in left, Reed in center and Ibanez at first base. If Balentien still falters, you can sit him a few games and week and play Willie Bloomquist in the outfield. Do that, with Ibanez as the first baseman, and maybe this team won't lose 50 games in the second half of the season.