The Chicago White Sox weren’t having a lot success towards Seattle Mariners starter Luis Castillo.
Andrew Benintendi struck out his first two at-bats towards the right-hander.
And Castillo had fanned 4 consecutive Sox batters when Benintendi got here to bat once more within the sixth inning of the Aug. 21 recreation at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“I was getting blown away by his heaters and I figured, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen? I’ll strike out?’” Benintendi mentioned Saturday. “So I might as well try something and I ended up hitting a double.”
He sliced a 98 mph fastball to left subject on a 1-2 pitch for the double.
“I think it kind of clicked right there,” Benintendi mentioned. “Don’t want to jinx it or anything, but going to keep trying to ride it out.”
Benintendi has been in an excellent rhythm on the plate, together with displaying some extra energy. He homered in three of his final six video games coming into Monday’s collection opener towards the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.
“I’ve been searching for a feel since 2018,” he mentioned. “Facing Castillo the other day, I felt that again. So I’m just trying to replicate that as much as possible. Hitting the ball in the air and hitting the ball harder, so I think it’s trending in the right direction.”
Benintendi got here into Monday’s recreation slashing .277/.342/.374 with 28 doubles, 5 house runs and 38 RBIs. Each of the three house runs final week got here towards left-handers.
“I saw him for a couple years, and he’s got power,” Sox supervisor Pedro Grifol mentioned Saturday. Grifol was the bench coach in Kansas City when Benintendi performed for the Royals in 2021 and a portion of 2022. “He had a tricky offseason. He had that surgical procedure (after struggling a damaged hook of his proper hamate bone final September), then he had the (proper) hand damage early (this season). We haven’t actually seen what he can do. This is what he can do.
“He can drive the ball out of the ballpark to left field, he can pull the ball and drive it out, he can hit you between 15 and 20 (home runs). He hasn’t done it this year, but he’s a tough at-bat, he’s a baseball player. Plays to win every night, knows what he’s doing, takes his walks. I think (Benintendi’s) best years with the White Sox are ahead of him, for sure.”
Benintendi hit a solo house run within the ninth inning Tuesday towards the Mariners. While he didn’t homer, he had an RBI single within the ninth Wednesday towards the Mariners to herald the tying run in a recreation the Sox received in 10 innings. He homered once more within the first inning Thursday towards the Oakland Athletics and within the fifth inning of Saturday’s recreation.
Benintendi has observed some distinction with a more healthy hand.
“I can tell,” Benintendi mentioned. “The part of my swing where my hand kind of gave up earlier in the year is now driving through the ball. I think that’s not a big part of it, but a part of it. I’m just going to keep trying to get it better and get stronger.”
Entering Monday, Benintendi had hit safely in 11 of his final 13 video games. He was 17-for-50 (.340) with three doubles, three house runs, seven RBIs, 5 walks and a .980 OPS through the stretch.
“I know who he is,” Grifol mentioned Friday. “I’ve seen it before. Players like him, at his age (29), you just don’t lose it like that. He’s going to show a lot of what he’s shown the last couple of days.”
Grifol additionally took consolation realizing Benintendi was within the outfield within the spacious Camden Yards, the place it’s 384 ft to straightaway left subject and 398 to left-center.
“He understands the position, the depths, we talked about it,” Grifol mentioned earlier than Monday’s recreation. “There’s a lot of room out there, yeah, he’s the right guy to play out there.”
Benintendi displayed a few of his all-around recreation Sunday, scoring from first base on a throwing error within the third inning of the 6-1 win towards the A’s. Benintendi had two hits in that recreation and scored twice.
“He’s played through a lot this year,” Grifol mentioned Friday. “I’m looking forward to a really good offseason for him, where he’s completely healthy. Where he can get in the gym and get stronger and do his thing the way he normally does it in the offseason and come back really strong in spring training.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com