When Jose Abreu hit a laser to left field Saturday night at Camden Yards, White Sox manager Rick Renteria said he "blinked and it was out."
Abreu's line-drive homer that bounced off the left-field foul pole in the eighth inning had an exit velocity of 112 mph and was another example of a recent stretch of hitting Renteria called "pretty impressive."
"I saw the swing," Renteria said. "I saw the flight of the ball, I turned and it was gone."
Abreu hit .157 with one extra-base hit, no homers and five RBIs in his first 13 games. But even after going 0-for-3 with a walk Sunday, he hit .393 with six doubles, a triple, five homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.218 OPS in the next 16 games.
As the Sox bench coach last year, Renteria saw Abreu go through a stretch when he was "hit or miss" for the first few months, so he hopes this torrid streak is a good sign for this season.
"It's him really feeling in tune with his swing, feeling in sync with recognizing pitches," Renteria said. "He has a skill set to put the bat on the baseball.
"When athletes talk about being in the zone, they become very instinctual, very reactionary. That's a combination of all his experiences and the work he puts into it. Right now he seems to be in a really good place."
