Minneapolis — Zach McKinstry was on the field five hours before game time with the three Tigers’ hitting coaches Friday. You don’t wait out a slump, you work out of a slump.
“We texted last night,” he said. “Just get here a little sooner and get some extra time in the cage.”
After a scorching month of May, where he hit over .300 and had a .454 on-base percentage, McKinstry has cooled in June. He came into the game Friday 6-for-49 (.122) this month with a .140 on-base percentage.
Thus, the early work.
“Just trying to get comfortable in the box,” he said. “We were just going through my routine, getting in some extra swings. We were looking at the film and making sure everything is linking up and my body is working the way it should be working.”
The only mechanical adjustment he made was bringing his hands in closer to his body. By the end of his session, he was driving balls deep into the seats, both to right field and to left field.
“I was making a lot more solid contact (at the end),” McKinstry said. “It felt a lot better off the bat. I wasn’t clipping the ball, I was flushing the baseball.”
Understand that 13 games, 51 plate appearances, is a small sample size. Neither McKinstry nor the Tigers were overly concerned about the lull in production.
“I just think it’s the season,” manager AJ Hinch said. “These guys aren’t going to stay red hot the way he was earlier. They start to get pitched a little differently. Every guy goes through ups and downs. They hit a few balls well that get caught. They get some bad calls.
“I just think it’s the peaks and valleys of the season. He has to battle through it. He’s going to play every day against right-handed pitching.”
In his recent at-bats, the right-handed pitchers have been attacking McKinstry with more off-speed pitches than they were earlier. He’s hitting .136 against off-speed pitches.
“Looking at the numbers, guys are going at me different, more changeups,” McKinstry said. “I’ve been seeing 10 percent more off-speed. So I just need to stay in there, stay in the circle of baseball…I’ll be all right. You have your ups and downs. It’s just part of it.”
Hinch certainly hasn’t wavered on him. McKinstry was back in the lead-off spot Friday against Twins right-hander Joe Ryan.
“That’s the best part,” McKinstry said. “Getting back out there and getting those five at-bats and getting to compete against those guys. AJ knows how hard this game is. He instills that confidence in us.”
E-Rod back throwing
The Tigers’ twice-weekly medical update included some very encouraging news about lefty starter Eduardo Rodriguez.
He threw off the mound for the first time before the game Friday, his first bullpen session.
“He’s progressing nicely and itching to do more, which is a good sign,” Hinch said. “He’s been normal, which is good.”
Rodriguez has been out since May 29 with a ruptured pulley in his left index finger – a rare and potentially lingering injury for pitchers. That Rodriguez has begun throwing off a mound less than three weeks after the injury seems to indicate he is ahead of the six-to-eight-week estimated recovery time.
“We’re in uncharted territory with what to do and how fast to progress him,” Hinch said. “He’s reminding me daily that he feels really good. We will keep putting things in front of him. He’s got a ton of energy in the bullpen. We’ll see what’s next.”
Hinch wasn’t on hand for the session, so it’s unknown whether Rodriguez threw all fastballs or if he mixed in his secondary pitches.
Sticking with heat
On Sunday, Tigers reliever Jason Foley got burned using his third-best pitch. In a fatal four-run ninth inning, he walked Ketel Marte on a 3-2 slider and then, after getting two strikes on Christian Walker with 98-mph sinkers, he hung a slider that Walker smashed to left field scoring two runs.
In his two scoreless outings since, he’s thrown two sliders. He pitched a scoreless eighth against the Twins Thursday without throwing any sliders. He threw nine sinkers between 97 and 98.5 mph and effectively mixed in some changeups.
Has he been discouraged from throwing his slider?
“He’s been encouraged to throw his best pitches for strikes,” Hinch said. “He threw a couple of changeups (Thursday), on the first pitch and on 3-2 to Max Kepler (ground out to first). He’s been encouraged to throw strikes.
“The Marte slider (for the walk) was just as egregious as the Walker base hit.”
Around the horn
…Right-handed starter Matt Manning pitched three-plus innings in his second rehab start at Triple-A Toledo Friday. He allowed an unearned run and five hits, throwing 59 pitches with 36 strikes. The velocity on his four-seam fastball averaged 94.5 mph.
… Right-handed relievers Beau Brieske (ulnar nerve entrapment) and Trey Wingenter (biceps) have had their rehab assignments moved to Triple-A Toledo. Brieske was scheduled to throw an inning Friday. Wingenter is scheduled to throw an inning on Saturday.
… Lefty Tarik Skubal, who threw three scoreless inning for Toledo on Thursday, will make his next rehab start for the Mud Hens Wednesday. Hinch said he wasn’t sure yet how many more rehab starts Skubal will make.
… Right-handed starter Spencer Turnbull (neck injury) also took a step forward. He has been limited to doing strength and conditioning work. Next week, he will resume his throwing progression.
… Outfielders Riley Greene (left fibula) and Akil Baddoo (quad) are still taking treatment with very limited baseball activity.
chris.mccosky@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @cmccosky
Tigers at Twins
When: 2:10 p.m., Saturday, Target Field, Minneapolis
TV/radio: BSD/97.1
Scouting report
LHP Joey Wentz (1-6, 7.23), Tigers: If he could, manager AJ Hinch would use an opener ahead of Wentz. He did it last time and Wentz responded well, allowing two runs and a hit with four strikeouts over 4.1 innings against the Diamondbacks. With the Tigers using two bullpen games in this series, Hinch isn’t sure he will be able to spare a reliever to open.
TBA, Twins: The Twins are expected to deploy a bullpen game. Manager Rocco Baldelli will designate his first pitcher after the game Friday.