Eloy Jiménez was in a funk heading into the weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Chicago White Sox outfielder/designated hitter was 6-for-33 (.182) in his previous nine games, then struck out in his first two at-bats Friday.
His third trip to the plate, he connected on a Cooper Criswell slider for a solo home run to left. That homer had an exit velocity of 105.6 mph.
Jiménez topped it a day later with an exit velocity of 107.5 on a 434-foot homer during the second inning. The ball left the park in such a hurry that Rays left fielder Randy Arozarena didn’t move.
Those were the first two homers of the season for Jiménez. Not that he was concerned about the drought.
“I’m not really thinking about power first,” he said after Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla. “I think about hitting first, good contact, good at-bats, and I know the power is there. I don’t need to worry about that.”
Jiménez drove in the team’s only run Sunday with a fourth-inning double. He’s showing signs of getting into a rhythm after being on the injured list April 4-13 with a strained left hamstring.
“I’m starting to feel better at the plate,” Jiménez said. “I’m starting to feel more comfortable. After 10 days (on the IL), it’s hard to get back and play good. But that’s no excuse. I’m here to do whatever I want to help the team win.
“I just try to do my job and help the team. I try to do my best every night and if it’s good, it’s all I can say.”
A key for Jiménez is he hasn’t been chasing as much, Sox manager Pedro Grifol said before Monday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
“He’s shrinking the strike zone,” Grifol said. “He’s getting good pitches to hit. When Eloy is getting good pitches to hit, he’s going to do some damage. That’s just who he is. He’s got a good eye, he’s got good plate discipline. He game plans really well and he’s got the ability to execute a game plan.
“That’s what he’s been doing the last three or four days. He’s not overly impatient. He’s patient. He’s waiting for his pitch where he can do damage, and he’s done that. He’s not chasing. He’s taking some good pitches. That’s a really good thing too.”
Generally speaking, Grifol said Sox hitters “can’t chase at the rate that we’re chasing.”
“We need to make adjustments on those,” Grifol said. “We feel like we’re headed in the right direction with that. Guys are putting in the work. They’re learning the pitchers, they’re learning their strike zone. They’re learning where they can do damage. It needs to translate out there.
“When you chase, you’re not getting pitches that you can do damage with. That’s just a part of the game. You stay in the strike zone, you’re going to get a good pitch to hit, you’re going to do some damage. You come out of the strike zone, you’re not going to put good wood on the baseball. That’s no secret. That’s just the way the game is. The work is being done. You’ve just got to put it in play out there now.”
The Sox know they have to cut down their strikeouts after fanning 33 times in the three-game sweep by the Rays, including 15 strikeouts Saturday.
“There were some positives that came out of that series, (and) there were some things we have to improve on for sure that came out of that series,” Grifol said. “We just have to execute those things here against Toronto.”
Before Monday’s game, the Sox reinstated reliever Joe Kelly from the 15-day injured list. Kelly, who is 0-1 with a 10.13 ERA and three strikeouts in three relief appearances this season, went on the IL retroactive to April 9 with a right groin strain.
“He extends the bullpen out significantly to where we feel comfortable in leverage and at the same time resting some of the guys that need it too,” Grifol said.
Sox starter Lucas Giolito was placed on the bereavement list, where he must remain for a minimum of three days and not more than seven. Grifol said Giolito will return in time for his next start, which should come in the upcoming home series against the Rays.
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