Tigers' Niko Goodrum Dominates Batter's Box
Tigers shortstop Niko Goodrum, who went 1 for 16 over the last four games, was in desperate need of a little R & R on Saturday.
"He was pretty frustrated that I didn't play him yesterday, which is good," said manager Ron Gardenhire. "Sometimes players just don't understand that; you know what, you're struggling a little bit. Take a day off; take a deep breath."
Just a few days before, the Tigers were able to kill two birds with one stone: end a nine-game losing streak while simultaneously stomping out the flames of an ugly 20-game skid against the Indians.
In 2019, Goodrum was show-stopping at the plate when playing the Tribe. The switch-hitter went 16 for 38, sporting a .421 batting average against Cleveland. Regardless of Goodrum’s misfortune at the plate against the White Sox earlier in the week, the 62-year-old manager has faith in the Atlanta native.
"He puts everything into every at-bat and every game; that's why I love him. That's why I enjoy him." Gardenhire shared. "He's out there today, he's happy today, and he might even say hi to me."
After Goodrum's electrifying performance on Sunday afternoon against the Indians, he did more than say hello to his manager. He played an instrumental role in the team’s 7-4 win.
Goodrum squared up the first pitch from reliever Logan Allen for a solid solo home run, putting the Tigers up 2-1 in the fourth inning. Over the last 15 games against Cleveland, Goodrum’s batting around .340 with seven extra-base hits.
He reached base four times out of five appearances at the plate on Sunday. Along with his fifth homer of the season, Goodrum had a stand-up double and crossed the plate twice.
Even though Goodrum wasn’t thrilled about his day off, he did make great use of it.
“I’ve been checking out video, you know comparing, and after that, just went to work,” Goodrum said. “Just making adjustments to swing on the ball, recognize pitches early.”
“Had bad days in the past, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. We have to get after it.”
The Tigers head into Monday’s matchup against the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs with an overall record of 11-15. The first pitch is at 7:10 PM EST.
