Plouffe, who was hitting .147 as recently as April 17, has bumped his average up to .277 after going 1-for-4 in an 8-7 win against the A's. He credits extra work with Twins hitting coach Tom Brunansky for getting him going at the plate. Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is riding a major hot streak into a four-game series with the Oakland Athletics.
Against the Chicago White Sox over the weekend, Plouffe was one of the major reasons the Twins scored a combined 18 runs on Saturday and Sunday, capping a four-game sweep of their division rivals and moving the club one-game over .500 after a dismal 1-6 start to the season.
On Sunday, Plouffe went 3-for-5 with his first career grand slam and a career-high five RBIs in a 13-3 victory.
Plouffe, who was hitting .147 as recently as April 17, has bumped his average up to .277 after going 1-for-4 in an 8-7 win against the A’s. He credits extra work with Twins hitting coach Tom Brunansky for getting him going at the plate.
“We were doing a lot of stuff with a fungo, things we hadn’t been doing previously. We did that a lot and fixed what we needed to fix,” Plouffe said.
When Plouffe is playing well, Twins manager Paul Molitor said his third baseman is driving the ball but not necessarily hitting home runs.
“He’s kind of one of those guys who tries to drive the ball gap to gap and when he’s getting mistakes he’s taking advantage,” Molitor said.
With designated hitter Kennys Vargas trying to snap out of an early-season funk at the plate, left fielder Oswaldo Arcia on the 15-day disabled list and super-prospect Miguel Sano still a ways away in Double-A, Plouffe has been batting cleanup for Minnesota. And while the results have been indicative of a No. 4 hitter, his future likely is not in the middle of the Twins order.
For now, Plouffe said he is going to ride his hot streak as far as it will take him.
