Adam Engel appears regular-season ready.
Starting in center field and hitting sixth, Engel launched a three-run home run in the first inning and tripled during the White Sox 7-6 loss to the Mariners on Friday night at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Ariz. The home run came against southpaw Marco Gonzales, who is Seattle’s Opening Day starter.
Friday’s performance followed Engel’s three hits during a 9-7 victory over the Royals on Thursday, when Engel entered his final at-bat needing only a single to complete a rare Cactus League cycle. Rare, as in most veteran players such as Engel don’t often stay in these games long enough to get four at-bats.
Daniel Lynch struck out Engel in the seventh, leaving the outfielder with a double, triple and home run.
“It's not like something where I went up there like, ‘Oh man, I'm going to make history right here!’" Engel said of thinking about the cycle. “It's something that would be cool, obviously. I don't think I've ever hit for the cycle in my career at any level or whatever. Again, it's something that just shows things are working at the plate.
“I would say there's a decent amount of luck involved with hitting for the cycle. You know it's such a hard thing to do in the first place, but obviously, hitting the ball hard in the right place -- we don't have a whole lot of control of where we hit the ball once it leaves our bat. Did it cross my mind? Yeah. Would it have been cool? Yeah. Would it have been as cool as doing it in the regular season? Absolutely not.”
Engel felt as if he had a good rhythm at the plate Thursday, along with seeing the ball well and executing his swing on pitches he wanted to attack. Although he’ll start the season as a super-sub capable of playing any outfield spot, Engel also seems to have his offensive game primed to contribute.
“Obviously, confidence is another big thing, so I feel like I've been building, building, building,” Engel said. “It's definitely nice to have a day like yesterday, just to kind of solidify again that what you're doing is going to work, so just stick with it.”
Lynn getting his work
Lance Lynn, Chicago's No. 3 starter, got his pitch total up to 85 over 3 2/3 innings Friday. The right-hander fanned five and walked one, and he added that he felt fine, the only caveat being that 85 pitches needed to cover more like six innings.
“Stuff was there,” Lynn said. “Pitch count-wise, I feel strong. The velocity is still there as the game is going on. Just got to keep going through it and keep locking it in.”
Lynn figures to get to 90 pitches in each of his next two starts, before he begins game-planning for his regular-season trip to the mound in Anaheim.
“Right now we’re just kind of having fun, to be honest,” Lynn said. “We’re throwing whatever whenever we want to wherever. Things are just kind of not hitting yet. But when we have a game plan and we’re attacking the way that we’re going to during the season, it will be a little different flow.
“What’s the point of pitching to the hitters’ weaknesses when you have to work on stuff, to be honest with you. It’s Spring Training. We’ve got to throw our pitches.”
Hamilton ready in reserve
Billy Hamilton is ready to do whatever it takes to help the White Sox push toward a second straight playoff appearance. And the 30-year-old switch-hitter understands that help figures to come in a late-inning situation, after he joined the team on March 16 via a Minor League deal with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.
“I decided it would be a great fit for me,” Hamilton said. “Especially when you get into that type of role, you definitely want to go somewhere where you can know that teams have the best chance for winning. I was born a winner, and I want to be a winner.
“These guys over here are all winners. I felt like I could fit right in with these guys with not much time left in Spring Training with the season coming up.”
Hamilton was with Cleveland at the start of Spring Training but was released on March 13 after appearing in four Cactus League games. He already has two RBIs and a run scored in four White Sox at-bats. But if Hamilton breaks camp with the team, it will be more about that key late stolen base or glove work as a defensive replacement.
“I’m so happy the White Sox gave me this chance to compete for a spot to be on this great team. I’m excited about that,” Hamilton said. “I always have that win mentality to be great whatever chance I get.”
Third to first
• Yasmani Grandal went 0-for-4 as the designated hitter on Friday and was scheduled to catch Saturday. The veteran switch-hitter is working his way back from a right knee injury. He twisted it during running drills on Feb. 24.
• Liam and Kristi Hendriks delivered lunch from Taylor’s Tacos on Friday to Howard Brown Health on 63rd Street in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. The couple have donated more than 100 meals from five neighborhood businesses to five non-profit agencies since the closer joined the White Sox via free agency this offseason.
He said it
“Andrew is an incredible young talent. He's one of the purest hitters I've ever seen. I talk a lot about rhythm and timing in my own swing, but he's probably got better rhythm than anyone I've ever seen, especially at his age.” – Engel on Andrew Vaughn, the White Sox No. 1 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.