Connect with us

Published

on

MINNEAPOLIS — With each empty at-bat by Carlos Correa, the exasperation mounted in the crowd in Minnesota.

The boos at the end were merely the natural progression.

Correa went 0-for-5 — dropping his batting average to .185 — and stranded six runners on base for the Twins in their 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, and the star shortstop said he “absolutely” heard the booing that followed his last two fruitless plate appearances.

“I’d boo myself too with the amount of money I’m making, if I’m playing like that,” said Correa, who signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins on Jan. 11 after richer agreements with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets fell through amid concern about the long-term health of his ankle..

There’s no injury here, just a stunningly slow start to the season for a player the Twins committed more money to than anyone else in franchise history — hence the boos.

“Obviously, (the boos are) acceptable. It’s part of the game, part of sports,” Correa said. “Fans want production, and fans want a team that’s going to compete out there and win games. It’s to be expected when you play poorly. But at the same time, the work doesn’t stop. I’m going to keep working and keep focusing on the things I can control, and the results will come.”

The Twins (19-17), who somehow still lead the American League Central by two games over the Cleveland Guardians and 2½ games over the Detroit Tigers on the strength of their starting pitching, have scored six runs in their past four games. They had 28 hits in 58 innings on a 2-4 road trip last week and have fallen to last in the major leagues in batting average at .219. They have the fifth-most strikeouts.

“Even though we haven’t been playing our best baseball, even though I haven’t been playing my best baseball, we’re in a good spot when it comes to the division. When I get right, when we get right as a team, then we’re going to be playing better baseball and hopefully build a bigger lead,” Correa said.

Correa is far from the only expected-to-produce hitter not doing his part for the Twins. Joey Gallo‘s hitless streak reached 25 straight at-bats until he singled in the seventh inning Tuesday. Jose Miranda went 2-for-21 on the road trip last week.

But with Correa making $32 million this year, tied for the sixth-largest position player salary in the major leagues, he’s the easiest target for fans directing their frustration. Correa fittingly ended innings with his last four at-bats against the Padres, prompting the boos from the crowd of 16,882.

He popped out to first base with runners on first and second in the third, struck out with the bases empty in the fifth, struck out with runners at first and second in seventh, and grounded out to end the game with runners at second and third.

“I trust the player and I trust our coaching staff to be able to work through this. We have a lot of baseball to play, and Carlos has great perspective. He knows that. He understands that,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Adding stress to a situation never works. Adding ideas to a situation and adding some patience for yourself and some ways to actually calm down probably work better than anything else, and I think he knows that.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

Published

on

By

Former White Sox pitcher, world champ Jenks dies

Bobby Jenks, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Chicago White Sox who was on the roster when the franchise won the 2005 World Series, died Friday in Sintra, Portugal, the team announced.

Jenks, 44, who had been diagnosed with adenocarcinoma, a form of stomach cancer, this year, spent six seasons with the White Sox from 2005 to 2010 and also played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011. The reliever finished his major league career with a 16-20 record, 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. “None of us will ever forget that ninth inning of Game 4 in Houston, all that Bobby did for the 2005 World Series champions and for the entire Sox organization during his time in Chicago. He and his family knew cancer would be his toughest battle, and he will be missed as a husband, father, friend and teammate. He will forever hold a special place in all our hearts.”

After Jenks moved to Portugal last year, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. That eventually spread into blood clots in his lungs, prompting further testing. He was later diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and began undergoing radiation.

In February, as Jenks was being treated for the illness, the White Sox posted “We stand with you, Bobby” on Instagram, adding in the post that the club was “thinking of Bobby as he is being treated.”

In 2005, as the White Sox ended an 88-year drought en route to the World Series title, Jenks appeared in six postseason games. Chicago went 11-1 in the playoffs, and he earned saves in series-clinching wins in Game 3 of the ALDS at Boston, and Game 4 of the World Series against the Houston Astros.

In 2006, Jenks saved 41 games, and the following year, he posted 40 saves. He also retired 41 consecutive batters in 2007, matching a record for a reliever.

“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”

A native of Mission Hills, California, Jenks appeared in 19 games for the Red Sox and was originally drafted by the then-Anaheim Angels in the fifth round of the 2000 draft.

Jenks is survived by his wife, Eleni Tzitzivacos, their two children, Zeno and Kate, and his four children from a prior marriage, Cuma, Nolan, Rylan and Jackson.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

Published

on

By

In search of infield options, Yanks add Candelario

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees, digging for options to bolster their infield, have signed third baseman Jeimer Candelario to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the affiliate announced Saturday.

Candelario, 31, was released by the Cincinnati Reds on June 23, halfway through a three-year, $45 million contract he signed before the start of last season. The decision was made after Candelario posted a .707 OPS in 2024 and batted .113 with a .410 OPS in 22 games for the Reds before going on the injured list in April with a back injury.

The performance was poor enough for Cincinnati to cut him in a move that Reds president of baseball operations Nick Krall described as a sunk cost.

For the Yankees, signing Candelario is a low-cost flier on a player who recorded an .807 OPS just two seasons ago as they seek to find a third baseman to move Jazz Chisholm Jr. to second base, his natural position.

Candelario is the second veteran infielder the Yankees have signed to a minor league contract in the past three days; they agreed to terms with Nicky Lopez on Thursday.

Continue Reading

Sports

Dodgers’ Snell pitches to hitters, ‘looked good’

Published

on

By

Dodgers' Snell pitches to hitters, 'looked good'

LOS ANGELES — Pitchers Blake Snell and Blake Treinen are progressing toward a return for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Snell and Treinen each faced hitters Saturday, and Snell pitched two innings. Each could begin a rehab assignment after the All-Star break.

The 32-year-old Snell has pitched in two games for the Dodgers following his five-year, $182 million free agent deal after spending last season with the San Francisco Giants and three before that with the San Diego Padres. He is a two-time Cy Young Award winner.

“(Snell) looked good. He looked really good,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know what the velo was but the ball was coming out really well. He used his entire pitch mix. I thought the delivery was clean, sharp, so really positive day.”

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been injury-prone this season but is starting to get a boost from Shohei Ohtani, the two-way superstar who is working as an opener in his return from elbow surgery.

Treinen is looking to get back to his role in the back end of the bullpen. He threw one inning Saturday.

“Blake Treinen I thought was really good as well,” Roberts said. “Both those guys should be ready at some point in time shortly after the All-Star break.”

Continue Reading

Trending