SAN FRANCISCO — Brooks Baldwin stood near second base at Minute Maid Park a couple of hours before Sunday’s game against the Houston Astros, sharpening one particular defensive skill.
The infielder caught toss after toss from Chicago White Sox coach Justin Jirschele, and then made the throw to first base, knowing that every fraction of a second counts when trying to turn a double play.
“That’s something we were trying to reinforce, try to get back in a good habit of keeping the hands together and being quick and short instead of being long,” Baldwin said Monday night.
He put the practice to the test while playing shortstop during the seventh inning of Monday’s game at Oracle Park.
The San Francisco Giants had the bases loaded with one out when Michael Conforto hit a grounder to Lenyn Sosa. The second baseman made a solid feed to Baldwin, who in turn stepped on second and threw to first to complete the double play.
Baldwin referred to the sequence as “routine.”
The Sox have gotten into the routine of penciling Baldwin in the lineup since he arrived from Triple-A Charlotte following the All-Star break.
He is batting .222 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 26 games and recently put together the longest hitting streak of his brief big-league career, collecting a hit in five straight contests from Aug. 9-14. That streak ended Friday, but Baldwin had a good night offensively Monday. He singled twice, walked twice, stole a base and scored one run in the 5-3 loss.
Right fielder Dominic Fletcher also had two hits Monday. He’s taking advantage of increased playing time, making several eye-opening defensive plays.
“Playing every day gives you the opportunity to make more good plays,” Fletcher said Monday. “The more you’re out there, the more you can show what you can do.”
Fletcher sent a buzz throughout Minute Maid Park after robbing Astros catcher Yainer Diaz of a three-run home run in the first inning of Sunday’s game.
“He’s a gangster out there,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said after Sunday’s game. “He’s fun to watch. I love having him out there. I need him out there.
“He’s a game-changer on the defensive side. He’s been swinging good. I just like his game all around.”
Acquired in an offseason trade from Arizona, Fletcher has a .219 average with 10 RBIs in 42 games. But he is 12-for-40 (.300) in 13 games since being recalled from Charlotte on July 29.
“I wouldn’t say I’m locked in right now, but grinding through every day and trying to get myself to a position where I’m comfortable and squaring balls up consistently,” Fletcher said.
Baldwin showcased multiple parts of his offensive arsenal Monday.
“Being down in the nine spot (of the order on Monday), it’s a spot you want to get on base and flip over the lineup, let guys drive you in at the top,” Baldwin said. “That’s how I try to play my game, be disciplined at the plate and when I get a pitch to hit, put a good swing on it.”
He executed a well-placed bunt in the third inning, beating the throw to first for a single.
“In the situation (with runners on first and second) I was walking to the plate expecting to get the bunt sign, and I got it,” Baldwin said. “It’s one of those where you want to get a good bunt down and once you get it down, take off to first and use your speed to try to beat it out.”
That speed was on display following a fifth-inning walk. He stole second and later scored on a single by Luis Robert Jr.
“(Walking) allows me to showcase more of my skills,” he said. “And when I get on base, I have a chance to steal more bases. That’s one of the best parts of my game, base running. If I can get on base, it allows me to give guys behind me the opportunity to drive me in.”
Baldwin walked again in the seventh and singled leading off the ninth.
“I’m very aggressive at the plate to start with,” Baldwin said. “My idea of the strike zone is really good and even with two strikes, pitches that are close, I try to put a bat on and put it in play to take it out of the umpire’s hands.
“When you get your chance to take a walk, you should take them. That’s what I did tonight.”
Sizemore just wants Baldwin to continue to “be himself.”
“Just play his game, not do anything different than he’s done all year,” Sizemore said. “He is an aggressive hitter, takes a good swing. And I like that.
“It’s a tough league, he’s had a big jump (starting the season at Double A) for where he’s at now and I’m not trying to change anything about his game.”
Baldwin wants to stick to his routine throughout the rest of the season.
“(It’s) being disciplined at the plate, continue to have a good idea of the strike zone and make the routine plays,” Baldwin said.
