“Kyle Jacobs”
June 30, 2009
PITTSBURGH | Designated hitter Mike Jacobs isn’t kidding himself. He knows he’s underperforming, and he’s open to adjustments in his approach at the plate. It’s just that doing so, on the fly in the middle of the season, is sort of like driving to a place you’ve never been in the dark.
“It’s tough when you’re going away from what you’ve done for so long and what you’re so used to doing,” he acknowledged. “Sure, it’s hard to buy into something else. But right now, there’s no reason not to look to change some things.
“I’m hoping to salvage the year. There is plenty of time left that I can still put up some pretty big numbers this year.”
The Royals touted Jacobs, after acquiring him last October from Florida for reliever Leo Nuñez, as their new power threat. And he had just hit a career-high 32 homers for the Marlins.
It hasn’t worked out.
Jacobs saw his average drop to .226 after ending Friday’s 5-3 loss to Pittsburgh with a strikeout. And while he has 10 homers, he also has just 26 RBIs in 66 games.
Worse, his trends are plummeting. Jacobs was batting a mere .159 in his last 25 games with only 13 hits in 82 at-bats. Worse still, he had only one homer and one RBI — but 27 strikeouts — in that span.
“We’re making some changes in my swing,” he acknowledged. “We’re trying to shorten it up and trying to simplify some things. With my tap, I’ve got to be so perfectly on time. I’ve been struggling this year. No doubt about it.”
The Royals also want him to adopt a less-rigid stance at the plate.
“A little bit of flex in his back leg should help him,” manager Trey Hillman said. “You can already see it helping. He was able to foul off some pitches (Tuesday) that he would normally swing through.
“It’s just a matter of him getting a little more comfortable. But he needs to be a little more flexible on his backside leg instead of being so erect.”
Davies dazzling
Right-hander Kyle Davies began his push to reclaim a spot in the big-league rotation in impressive style Thursday night by pitching eight shutout innings for Class AAA Omaha in a 7-0 victory at Memphis.
Davies permitted just three hits while striking out eight and walking one in a 98-pitch performance that included 64 strikes. It marked his first start since being optioned last Saturday to the O-Royals. Davies lost his job in the rotation after going 3-7 with a 5.76 ERA.
Buck begins rehab
John Buck is two games into his rehab playing assignment at Omaha. He was Davies’ catcher for the first three innings Thursday, and went one for three, before going hitless in four at-bats Friday as the designated hitter. Thursday marked Buck’s first game action since suffering a herniated disk May 30 against the White Sox.
New look
It’s Heritage Weekend at PNC Park, so the Royals and Pirates wore replica uniforms from the Negro Leagues on Friday and will do so again tonight. The Pirates wore uniforms of the Homestead Grays, while the Royals, no surprise, wore Monarchs’ uniforms.
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Source: http://www.kansascity.com
