ANAHEIM — The first pitch Jo Adell saw in the eighth inning on Tuesday night was a hanging slider.
The Angels outfielder hammered it 418 feet, over the center field fence. It was his first home run since April 10, and it was symbolic of what Adell believes has gone wrong.
“I’m taking a lot of pitches I think I should be hitting early in the count,” Adell said on Wednesday. “I’m letting a lot of pitches go by, which is something that I haven’t done in the past. I’ve been aggressive in the zone early.”
Manager Ron Washington sees the same thing.
“I think what the (coaches are) trying to do is get him to quit taking so many balls down the middle of the plate,” Washington said. “When you do that, you’re guessing. So trying to get him to see the ball and just let it fly. When he sees the ball and lets it fly, he’s more consistent. Sometimes he gets up there and he wants to work the plate, and they’re just throwing bastard pitches.”
Adell is hitting .183 with a .547 OPS and three home runs. He’s struck out in 29.6% of his plate appearances and walked in 4.1%, both well below the major league average.
Adell was on the bench to start Wednesday’s game, the fifth time in the last seven games that he hasn’t been in the lineup.
“The lineup is what it is,” Adell said on Wednesday. “I continue to work and hopefully find my way back in there when I can.”
Perhaps a new bat will help.
Adell has used the new “torpedo” bats four times this season. He has two hits with the new bats, including the homer on Tuesday night.
Mostly, though, Adell said it’s just a matter of being more aggressive at the plate.
“You try to make it too perfect,” Adell said. “Hitting isn’t perfect. And like, for me, just going back and understanding that I’m the type of guy that I’m trying to drive the ball and score runs. It doesn’t have to be a perfect pitch to do so. Just really staying there with the aggressiveness. Kind of forget everything else. I’m not a work the count type of guy. I get a strike and I can do some damage.”
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE SLUMP
The Angels’ seven-run outburst on Tuesday ended a 21-game stretch in which they scored just 52 runs – the lowest scoring stretch of that length for the Angels since 1992. They hit .197 and went 5-16 in those games.
They played 16 of those games, however, against teams that currently rank in the top eight in the majors in ERA.
Heading into Wednesday’s games, the Detroit Tigers ranked second in the majors with a 2.96 ERA. The Texas Rangers were fifth (3.37), the Houston Astros were sixth (3.43), the San Francisco Giants were seventh (3.46) and the Minnesota Twins were eighth (3.46). Two of the other five games were against the Seattle Mariners, who ranked 12th (3.72).
Their big offensive night on Tuesday came against a Toronto Blue Jays team that ranks 23rd (4.37). This weekend they play the Baltimore Orioles, who rank 29th (5.49).
NOTES
Mike Trout (bone bruise in left knee) is “feeling better, but he’s still not able to do baseball activities,” Washington said on Wednesday. Trout said he hopes that he is on the injured list for the minimum 10 days. He’s eligible to be activated on Sunday. …
Outfielder Gustavo Campero was not in the lineup on Wednesday, a day after suffering a sprained left ankle on an awkward swing. Campero was not placed on the injured list, though. Washington said he’s day to day. …
Right-hander Sam Bachman (thoracic outlet syndrome) is scheduled for his second rehab outing on Friday, Washington said. Bachman pitched a perfect inning on seven pitches on Tuesday night with Class-A Inland Empire. …
For the second straight day, left fielder Taylor Ward took some swings in early batting practice against a minor league pitcher the Angels brought to Angel Stadium specifically to help him get more comfortable at the plate. Ward had two hits, including a homer, after going through a similar workout on Tuesday. …
A day after closer Kenley Jansen was unavailable because of an illness, Washington said he’s “much better than yesterday,” and he planned on him being available. However, Washington added the caveat that they would have to see how he felt in the late innings of the game.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays (RHP Chris Bassitt, 2-2, 2.95 ERA) at Angels (RHP José Soriano, 2-4, 3.83 ERA), Thursday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM