Carlos Sanchez continues hot streak with three hits, homer

Share

CLEVELAND -- The 60-point upswing in Carlos Sanchez’s batting average has the second baseman feeling better about his play.

After he suffered through a drastic offensive slump for much of the first 46 games of the season, Sanchez has finally seen the pendulum swing the other way.

Sanchez blasted the second home run of his career in Sunday’s 2-1 White Sox victory and scored the team’s other run as he finished 3-for-4. Over the past 16 games, the No. 9 hitter has a .368/.389/.526 slash line in 59 plate appearances.

“My confidence is back, and I feel good,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “With my offense, I feel very good. I hope to keep this momentum until the end of the season because I’m feeling very good right now.”

[NBC SHOP: Gear up, White Sox fans!]

Sanchez does have a history of starting slow when he’s promoted, as evidenced by his slump at Triple-A Charlotte in 2013. But not only did Sanchez bring a career .288 minor-league average with him to the majors in May, he also had hit .250 last season in 104 plate appearances. Of course, playing in September for a team out of the pennant race carries less pressure than taking over in mid-May as Sanchez did this season.

Despite his struggles (he dropped to a season-low .141 on June 20), the White Sox kept Sanchez in the lineup for his glove in the hope it would instill confidence. Now he’s not just confident, he also has hit 816 feet worth of homers the past two days.

“We know he has a little pop in there, but as far as him swinging the bat this is a little more of what he is and defensively we’ve seen it the whole time,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “But it’s a credit to him that he’s stayed positive and worked at it and got better.”

Contact Us