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Mechanics jumpstart Gomez in Arlington
- Updated: September 29, 2016
ARLINGTON — Carlos Gomez is back, which means that the amount of excitement in Major League Baseball has increased.
Released by the Astros on Aug. 18, after a truly substandard performance, Gomez has revived his career with the Rangers.
A few mechanical changes at the plate have changed the game for Gomez. His right side is now more stable at the plate, and he has changed the position of his hands, allowing him to get to the ball quicker.
Instead of a slash line of .210/.272/.322 that he had with Houston, Gomez was hitting .274/.353/.519 in his first 30 games with the Rangers. The last two nights, against the Brewers, another former Gomez team, he was a dominant force.
On Tuesday night, he hit a 444-foot three-run homer that tied a game the Rangers eventually won. On Wednesday night, in the eighth inning, he hit another three-run homer that broke a tie and gave the Rangers an 8-5 victory. He finished with three hits and a walk.
For Gomez, the adjusted hitting approach has been nothing less than a revelation.
“Every day I come here and put in the work,” he said. “Before, I feel that for 10 years I was blind. I learned something that I never did. I always felt a hole in my chest like I can do better. So every day we come here and do some work. You know, be on time, try to use my hands more.
“The people sometimes don’t know. They see me swing, they say, ‘Oh, he swings out of his shoes.’ It’s because I wasn’t ready to hit. When I’m not ready to hit the ball, it’s going to beat me, so the body tries to react and I have to pull myself. It’s not because I’m trying to swing hard. I’m trying to be on time.
“Right …