PHOENIX — Andrew Vaughn launched a liner to left field that just kept going and reached the seats for a solo home run in the third inning against the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday at T-Mobile Park.
Seven pitches later, Paul DeJong hit a high-and-away fastball over the right-field fence to give the Chicago White Sox back-to-back home runs.
The Sox accomplished the feat again in the third inning of Thursday’s game against the Mariners, with Vaughn and Luis Robert Jr. doing the trick.
The Sox have found some power recently. After hitting 15 homers in April and 20 in May, they have 21 in June entering Saturday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
“They’re trusting themselves, trusting the game plan and they’re performing,” manager Pedro Grifol said during the trip to Seattle. “That’s what it’s about. They’re going out there knowing exactly what they need to do and they’re executing.”
The team’s stretch of 14 consecutive games with a home run ended Friday in a 7-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. During the streak, the longest for the Sox since 15 straights games from Aug. 7-23, 2018, the team hit 23 home runs.
“Everybody’s taking really good at-bats,” Vaughn said after Thursday’s 3-2, 10-inning win against the Mariners. “Every guy, one through nine, has been doing a pretty good job.”
The team’s 21 homers this month are tied for second in the majors with the New York Yankees. The Baltimore Orioles top the list with 29.
Robert has six hits since returning from the injured list on June 4. Five of them are home runs.
And DeJong’s six home runs since May 31 are the second-most in the majors, behind seven from Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.
“Things have been coming together slowly but surely as far as just some consistency,” DeJong told the Tribune in Seattle. “I’ve always thought that power comes in bunches for me. It’s nice to ride it out as long as you can. It’s nice to contribute that way.
“It’s just a good sign of where my swing is at, because my approach is not to hit home runs, it’s a natural byproduct of getting a good pitch to hit and putting a good swing on it.”
DeJong has been an extra-base source all season. Twenty-four of his 50 hits have gone for extra bases — 13 homers and 11 doubles.
“Being able to take easy swings and get the ball over the infield is super important,” DeJong said. “The more fly balls or line drives, the better for me.”
One of the highlights for DeJong during the stretch came in the eighth inning on June 6 against the Cubs, when he hit a game-tying solo home run. While the Sox went on to lose 7-6, DeJong got to play a role in the Sox-Cubs rivalry after several years in St. Louis participating in the Cubs-Cardinals series.
“I felt like at home, playing against the Cubs in a rivalry game,” DeJong said. “It feels so normal to me.”
DeJong entered Saturday with a team-leading 13 home runs. He hit 14 all last season while playing for the Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants.
“He’s the same guy every day, comes to play really hard, plays to win every single night,” Grifol said. “He’s a true professional. And he’s performing. He’s putting some balls in the seats, giving us good ABs and catching the ball at shortstop. That’s what he’s done his whole career. He’s been consistent, consistent personality, consistent all the way around. He’s in it for us.
“In the midst of all this adversity we’re facing as an organization, these guys are getting a really good opportunity to go out there and perform on a daily basis. I don’t think you can take that for granted, ever. And he doesn’t.”
The Sox have hit 13 home runs in the last eight games, three from DeJong. While the team’s recent power surge hasn’t resulted in many more victories, it’s a development of the growth the Sox are seeking.
“I know we started rough on the offensive side, but seeing the improvements these guys are making daily has been nice to see,” Grifol said. “And they’re going to continue to improve, there’s a ton of work to do, improvement to make and they’re going to continue to do it. I’m confident in this group, they’ll do it on a daily basis.”
LaMond Pope , 2024-06-16 00:52:55
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