May 09--Frank Sinatra serenades Todd Frazier each time he waltzes to the right-handed batter's box at U.S. Cellular Field.
"Jersey guy, you know," said Frazier, a New Jersey guy himself.
But so far during the third baseman's time as a Chicago guy, Frazier's trips to the plate haven't been so good for the White Sox. Sinatra's "Come Fly with Me" lyrics have been more like "Come Pop Out with Me" or "Come Strike Out with Me."
The cleanup hitter managed a pair of hits, including a home run, Saturday to stop an 0-for-20 slump that included seven strikeouts and dated to May 1.
The slick-fielding 30-year-old knows he has struggled with the bat.
"I have to step it up a little bit, basically," Frazier said. "Bottom line is, so far it has been a tough month for me. But seeing the guys do good, it makes me want to do better."
Hitting fourth and being Jose Abreu's batting-order bodyguard has its privileges. But Frazier has been slow to use them.
He has a .200 average to go with five home runs, eight RBIs and an .803 OPS at the Cell -- better, barely, than his .188/3/12/.602 slash on the road.
"I have no hits in this month," Frazier said Friday before snapping his 0-for-May. "It's pretty frustrating. I have a bunch of walks (three). I've been on base, but God almighty, it's one of those things ... I've been through it once before. Frustrating by all means, but ... we are winning."
The White Sox lead the American League with 22 victories and lead the AL Central by five games.
And Frazier has been a big reason why.
His steady hands at third base haven't hurt. Frazier has been credited with saving three runs on defense, second most in the big leagues. He's hovering near the top third of players at his position in overall defense, coming in at 11th best, according to fangraphs.com.
"He's a big part of our lineup; we know he's going to hit," manager Robin Ventura said. "The best part is, he's not taking it on the field. He's made some great plays at third base to help us win games. We know his bat's going to come around and help us win games."
Minor move: The Sox optioned right-handed pitcher Tommy Kahnle to Triple-A Charlotte after Sunday's game. Kahnle has pitched one scoreless inning in two stops with the Sox this season.
