MINNEAPOLIS — Yonder Alonso isn’t ready to call it a season.
“What is it, May 26?” he said. “I got six home runs and [22] RBI. You can get hot in a month and have 16 homers and 50 RBI by the [All-Star] break, so who in the hell is saying I’m struggling, right?’’
Alonso’s .182 batting average says he’s struggling. Only three extra-base hits in May — a homer in Toronto on May 12, a double on a 4-for-4 night against the Royals on May 16 in Chicago and a double in the Sox’ 7-0 loss to the Twins on Sunday — scream he is. Alonso was 1-for-4 with a strikeout.
“Oh, man, ups and downs,” he said. “I’ve had some good days and bad days. I’ve had good at-bats — I’m leading the team in walks [26, 11 more than anyone else], which tells you a lot. And I’m not getting pitched to as much. When I am getting my pitches, I’m missing them, so I’m getting into longer counts.’’
Alonso knows what he has done in the past — ranking among the top five American League first basemen in hits, RBI, walks, homers, doubles and runs the last five seasons heading into this one.
He was an AL All-Star two years ago. He played his 1,000th game Saturday. So the past is what he has to cling to as June approaches.
“I’ve done it before,” Alonso said. “I’ve hit 10 homers in a month and I’ve had 20 RBI in a month, so I wouldn’t consider it [struggling]. You can have a rough patch in September or August, and nobody says anything.
“It’s such a long season. It’s not how you start; it’s how you finish.”
Alonso’s start has faced heightened scrutiny, though, because he was acquired in a trade with the Indians for minor-league outfielder Alex Call at least in part to entice free agent Manny Machado, his brother-in-law, and also because he has been manning the cleanup spot in manager Rick Renteria’s lineups.
Renteria bumped Alonso, mostly a fifth- and sixth-place hitter during his career, down to seventh this past week, but he was back to hitting fourth against Twins right-hander Jake Odorizzi in a lineup thinned by injuries to Tim Anderson and Leury Garcia.
Alonso had good pitches to hit and put good swings on them his first two times up but flied out. His double came in the seventh against Trevor May, sending Jose Abreu to third with no outs to create the Sox’ best chance for a big inning. But Eloy Jimenez lined out to right, Jose Rondon struck out on a high pitch and Yolmer Sanchez flied to left in succession.
“My exit velocity is up about
2 miles [per hour], so it’s like, what’s really happening here?” Alonso said. “But I can’t miss my pitches, man. I can’t miss pitches I can hurt somebody with.”
Alonso started at first base for the 16th time, so he also is being used as a designated hitter more than ever — 32 starts at DH this season — for which there is a learning curve.
“Working as a professional, I come in here ready to play every single day,” he said. “Give it all I got every single day.”
That’s all well and good, but Alonso knows he’s in a results business. He expects better.
The Sox need better.
“I’m getting [pitches to hit], I’m staying patient with it and the work has been getting better and better,” Alonso said. “It’s going to come.”
