ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Slumping players often point to hard-hit balls to the opposite field as evidence that the slump is nearing an end.
The Angels and Brandon Drury are hoping that his home run to right field on Sunday in Boston is just that type of moment.
“That means I’m letting the ball travel,” Drury said on Monday. “Being able to hit the ball hard oppo like that gives me room for error on offspeed, so I would say that’s a good sign. … I was working on something in the cage before the game. To go out and see instant results is nice.”
Drury’s first homer of the season left the bat at 106.8 mph and went over the fence in straightaway right. He added an infield hit later in the game, providing a glimmer of hope after his slow start.
Drury came into Monday’s game hitting .196 with a .543 OPS.
“Obviously it’s a very slow start, but I do feel like I’m getting better and continuing to work,” Drury said. “Trying to get a little better each day.”
A Silver Slugger winner in 2022, Drury started last season slowly too. He was hitting .179 with a .477 OPS through his first 72 plate appearances over 20 games.
Over his next 33 games he had a .975 OPS with nine homers, on his way to an .803 OPS and 26 homers by the end of the season.
“Starting slow is obviously not ideal, but I’ve been playing for a decent time, so I know there are so many games left,” Drury said. “You just can’t let it affect you. You just go to the next game and the next game and the next game.”
LINEUP SHUFFLE
Manager Ron Washington moved Mike Trout and Taylor Ward from the third and fourth spots in the lineup to the second and third spots for Monday’s game.
“Just trying to shake things up,” Washington said. “I’m trying to see how I can get some offense. It hurt me to pull my fourth hitter from the fourth spot and put him in third, but I’m just trying to get something going. We’re not really hitting on all cylinders the way we’d like to be hitting.”
Trout, who had an OPS of 1.044, and Ward (.909) have been two of the hottest hitters throughout the first 15 games.
Leadoff man Anthony Rendon has been better lately, with a .364 average and an .845 OPS over his last eight games.
Nolan Schanuel was Washington’s first choice to hit second because of his ability to manipulate the bat, but Schanuel has started slowly.
TESTS FOR STEPHENSON
Right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson underwent tests on his elbow on Monday. The Angels still have not received the results.
It’s noteworthy that his elbow was the issue that caused him to come out of his rehab appearance on Saturday, because he had been on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
“He was a big piece we were looking forward to having,” Washington said. “Now we’ve just got to wait and see how long it takes him to come back.”
The Angels signed Stephenson to a three-year, $33 million deal in January. His contract contains a clause that gives the Angels the right to add a $2.5 million team option in 2027 if he misses significant time with an elbow injury.
REMEMBERING JACKIE
Washington said Jackie Robinson Day has a special meaning for him as a Black man who played and managed in the major leagues.
“I don’t think I’ll be sitting here managing and talking to you guys if it wasn’t for Jackie Robinson breaking that barrier,” Washington said before Monday’s game, when all players across MLB wore No. 42 to honor Robinson. “Class act. I don’t think when I look at his story that I could have endured what he went through.
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“I’m happy for what he did for the game of baseball and for the Black baseball players and the minorities, period, in the game. But I don’t know if I could have done it. Watch that story and it was tough what he had to go through, but he withstood it, and his withstanding it gave me and other minorities an opportunity to move up in the game of baseball.”
NOTES
Right-hander Chase Silseth (elbow inflammation) has voiced “gradual improvement,” according to the Angels’ medical report. He will not resume throwing until he has no symptoms. …
Infielder Michael Stefanic (left quadriceps strain) “felt some mild tightness” during fielding drills over the weekend. Stefanic is still rehabbing in Arizona.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP José Soriano, 0-2, 6.30 ERA) at Rays (RHP Aaron Civale, 2-1, 2.12), Tuesday, 3:50 p.m. PT, Bally Sports West, 830 AM
