MINNEAPOLIS — Cal Raleigh picked up the place he left off final week.
Raleigh hit his major-league-leading thirty second dwelling run within the ninth inning of the Seattle Mariners‘ 11-2 win over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night time.
Raleigh was chosen American League participant of the week after he hit .417 with 5 homers and 12 RBIs in six video games final week. A lot of that got here within the Mariners’ sequence with the Cubs, who gave up 4 homers to Raleigh because the Mariners took two of three at Wrigley Discipline.
Monday’s dwelling run got here off left-handed reliever Joey Wentz, a two-run shot to left subject off a excessive changeup that Wentz left over the center of the plate. It was Raleigh’s fourth straight sport with a house run.
“He is simply in a extremely great place,” Mariners supervisor Dan Wilson stated. “I feel he feels comfy, clearly, and he is getting good pitches. And when he will get them, he does not miss them.”
In his previous 30 video games, Raleigh is hitting .331 (39 for 118) with 17 dwelling runs and 36 RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .278 with 68 RBIs and a 1.048 OPS.
The 28-year-old catcher, who signed a six-year, $105 million contract with Seattle this spring, wants three extra homers to match Ken Griffey Jr. for probably the most earlier than the All-Star break in Mariners historical past.
“He is hit lots of dwelling runs, however he is discovered lots of barrels, and whenever you’re hitting .270 with that sort of energy, you are placing up lots of good at-bats,” Wilson stated. “He is hitting the ball onerous. He is hitting the ball on the road, after which sometimes he is getting … beneath it somewhat bit extra and driving it out of the ballpark.”
Mariners starter Bryan Woo struck out 9 in six innings to earn the win Monday. He has pitched at the very least six innings in every of his 15 begins this 12 months and sports activities a 3.12 ERA. However even Woo shook his head when requested how he’d pitch to Raleigh proper now.
“I might put up 4 fingers and let him take first base,” Woo stated. “Yeah, I am not pitching to him.”