CLEVELAND – Catcher Zack Collins was within the lineup a second straight day because the designated hitter since getting known as up, an indicator of the Sox’ intention to see if the changes he made at Class AAA Charlotte after a 2-for-26 exhibiting in June and July are working.
The No. 10 general decide within the 2016 draft, Collins drove in a run with single within the first in opposition to All-Star right-hander Shane Bieber, walked and struck out within the Sox’ 8-6 loss to the Indians Wednesday at Progressive Field. That adopted a 1-for-Three evening with a stroll and a triple off the middle area wall in a 6-5 win Tuesday, when the struggling Sox (61-78) broke a seven-game dropping streak.
General supervisor Rick Hahn mentioned Collins will play extra on this his second tour.
“Zack’s ability to fill three spots for us, catcher, first base and DH leads me to suspect there is going to be more opportunities for him here over the next few weeks than the first time around,” Hahn mentioned.
Hahn has unsuccessfully tried with trades and free brokers however hasn’t offered a solution for the designated hitter vacuum since Adam Dunn in 2012, who slugged 41 homers whereas batting .204 that season. This yr isn’t any exception, with a dozen DHs combining to hit .191/.271/.318 with 11 homers. Collins’ missing protection behind the plate prompted the Sox to work him at first base, the place he’s removed from a completed product, they usually’d be delighted to see him show himself as a reliable DH.
The Sox needed the left-handed hitting Collins, who hit .244 over 4 minor league seasons with a .385 on-base share that was beefed up by his good batting eye – he walked 101 occasions at AA Birmingham in 2018 – to assume extra aggressively and work on masking the outer half of the plate.
It nonetheless hasn’t reached a consolation stage, Collins mentioned.
“I’ve been doing it for a little over a month now and still it’s something I have to come to the field every day and continue to work on,” Collins mentioned. “Even although the numbers have proven in any other case, I nonetheless need to get comfy with it and proceed to work on perfecting it.
“Pitchers simply dotting the skin half up right here was type of a problem for me after I got here up. Learning how you can alter to that was in all probability the most important factor.”
Collins batted.282/.403/.548 with 19 homers, 19 doubles and 74 RBI over 88 video games at Charlotte. The Sox would take that type of manufacturing on the subsequent stage.
Another DH chance could be first baseman Jose Abreu, who collected his 29th homer of the season and the 400th additional base hit of his profession, giving him 106 RBI this season.
Joining Collins (who batted ninth) within the beginning lineup a second evening was fellow call-up Daniel Palka, whose nightmarish season interrupted by rather more productive occasions at Charlotte continued with the Sox. Palka struck out twice, hit right into a double play, grounded out and is 1-for-53.
According to Stats By STATS, the one different place participant within the live-ball period to begin a season with one hit or fewer in his first 50 at-bats of a season was Mike Garbark of the Yankees in 1945, who was 1-for-50. Palka led the Sox with 27 dwelling runs final season.
The Sox rallied with two runs within the eighth and ninth after right-hander Ivan Nova gave up six runs on 11 hits over four 1⁄Three innings and committing an error attempting to double off Yasiel Puig from first. Center fielder Leury Garcia had a tough evening, turning the mistaken manner on a few deep liners over his head, making a circus catch on one in entrance of him and taking an oblique route on Roberto Perez pop up that fell in entrance of him for a single. Palka, enjoying proper area, could have had an opportunity however gave method to the quicker Garcia on the play.
Garcia additionally checked up and acquired caught in a rundown between third and residential on an Abreu grounder to 3rd baseman Yu Chang.