Twins' Joey Gallo faces flip side of baseball's streaky nature

KANSAS CITY, MO. – There's a guy in the Twins dugout who understands firsthand how cruelly, brutally streaky baseball can be, a guy who is liable to — and actually has — bat .287 with four homers one month, then go 3-for-50 (.060) with one homer the next.

Yes, Rocco Baldelli endured those highs and lows in 2007, so the Twins manager naturally feels some empathy for Joey Gallo, the most extreme hot-and-cold hitter on a team with several of them. Gallo was the Twins' most dangerous hitter in April, posting a 1.063 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) with seven home runs, but he only has six hits in July and a .579 OPS in the month.

"Every player who plays long enough goes through difficult periods where they're not swinging good. The guys who play long enough generally have ways of finding their way out of it. And sometimes it's harder than others," Baldelli said. "Sometimes you luck into something that works. But the more you try and the more anxiety and stress you feel, the less likely you are to find a way to get yourself out of it."

Nobody has to tell Gallo how true that is. He's a two-time All-Star whose home run rate ranks with the likes of Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds and Aaron Judge, and whose 17 this season still lead the Twins. But he also has struck out three times or more in 13 games already.

"Yeah, it's crazy. It's a tough game. I've always been streaky like that. When things start going my way, your confidence builds up, and it's like playing with house money at those times. If you're in sync, the ball looks like a beach ball," Gallo said. "Times like now, it's tough, and you start putting more pressure on yourself. You feel like you're not helping the team. I don't run away from who I am, what kind of player I am, but it can be difficult."

He tells himself that Derek Jeter, his favorite player as a child, "was a really consistent player, but even he had an 0-for-30 streak" in 2004, Gallo said. He likens his game to a three-point shooter in basketball, "a bomber who can change the scoreboard and win games for you but can also miss a lot. There is a risk/reward with the player I am. I don't want that to be the case, but it is the case."

Especially notable is Gallo's difficulty once the count reaches two strikes. It's happened 174 times to him this season, and he has collected only 12 hits, roughly three per month, when it does. He's struck out 113 times in two-strike counts, or 64.9% of the time.

"I try to get my head down earlier and see the ball deeper [in those situations]. But honestly, pitchers are so good, the ball is moving as much as it ever has, it's coming in faster than ever before," the 29-year-old Gallo said. "I've tried to shorten up, I've tried to go the other way, I've even tried bunting. I'm trying to put the ball in play. But just putting the ball in play, if that's your only goal, is that better? I can stick the bat out and just bunt it, but if you give away your strength and just make easy outs, is that better?"

With a little bit of help, Willi Castro has become the Twins' best run thief since Rod Carew.

When Ryan Jeffers took off from first base in the fourth inning Friday, Castro, leading off from third, waited to see what catcher Freddy Fermin would do. When Fermin threw to second, Castro bolted toward the plate.

It was his third steal of home this season, each of them in double-steal situations. That's the most since Carew stole home seven times, many of them straight steals, in 1969.

It's a play that Baldelli calls from the bench, but one that relies on Castro to determine whether he can make it safely.

"It takes a lot of instinct to know what to do when the right time comes on that play. There are times where we're just going to steal second base and Willi's not going anywhere. And there are times where Willi knows to go," Baldelli said. "It's a play we've discussed and practiced, but a lot of things have to come together to be able to pull something like that off. He's done a great job with it."

• Outfielder Ryan LaMarre, who has played for six major league teams since 2015, including 57 games with the Twins in 2018 and '19, was released by the Class AAA Saints after batting .204 in 28 games.

• Blayne Enlow gave up four runs on seven hits in 2⅔ innings of relief as the Saints lost to Toledo 7-3 at CHS Field. Enlow has given up 15 earned runs in nine innings over three July appearances.