Defensive replacement Taveras 'stays ready,' comes through with decisive dinger

ARLINGTON -- Manager Bruce Bochy told Leody Taveras to stay ready. It’s not often that the Rangers’ everyday center fielder is even in a position to come in as a pinch-hitter.

Taveras thought he had a rare off-day on Wednesday, with Texas facing Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. It was the second time in five days that Taveras hadn't started. A switch-hitter, Taveras has struggled to a .186/.269/.257 slash line against left-handed pitchers this season, though he hasn’t been particularly great on the other side either.

When Taveras entered the game in the seventh inning of the Rangers' eventual 5-3 win at Globe Life Field, it was as a defensive replacement for Robbie Grossman with the Rangers and Mets tied up.

Taveras entered the day just 2-for-his-past-43, 3-for-49 (.061) in June, and 5-for-59 (.085) over his past 18 games to drop his season average from .251 to .209.

Taveras was handed a tall task, now with the job of protecting Corey Seager in the three-hole, instead of where he typically bats in the No. 9 spot. He rose to the occasion.

After fouling off four pitches to work a 2-2 count in the bottom of the frame, Taveras turned on a 94.3 mph four-seamer from Mets reliever Drew Smith and drove it 405 feet over the Rangers’ bullpen in right-center field. The go-ahead shot gave Texas a 5-3 lead and helped the club snap a five-game losing streak.

“Leo was fine, he was ready,” said Bochy. “I told him to get ready late the ballgame and he was set to go. We had some big hits there, [Josh Smith], Grossman got us going and [Wyatt] Langford had some. For Leo to come in a game like that and hit a home run, it's just good to see him do something really good. I know he's been fighting a little bit.”

The fact that the go-ahead shot came off a four-seamer was potentially even bigger than the homer itself. Taveras is hitting just .170 off of four-seam fastballs this season, good for a -10 run value according to Statcast.

A lot of his work with the hitting coaches has been focused on the balance in his lower-half and his bad angle to the ball, in particular fastballs.

“I had more confidence [after fouling off a cutter],” Taveras said. “That was a hard pitch, a cutter in. I was able to keep balanced and I said, ‘OK, my swing is there.’ I had the confidence.”

The blast marked Taveras’ second career go-ahead home run in the seventh inning or later, joining his May 11 solo shot at Colorado this season, though the Rangers ended up losing that game. Taveras relished the opportunity to come up big for his team, this time in a win.

“It was big,” Taveras said. “It’s a pretty good feeling. It’s been hard these last few weeks. But I’ve been working with the hitting coaches to get better. This is part of the game. Lately, I haven’t been [playing] like I know I can. I know we gotta find a way to win the game. My role there is just to get ready to get in the game when they need me.”

Taveras is well aware of his recent struggles. He never questioned his place on this team or Bochy’s managing when he knew he would be coming off the bench again. He said his confidence hasn’t been affected by those struggles, but it’s hard to imagine that a hit like that doesn’t awaken something in a player.

“I don't care how good you are in this game, when you go through a streak like he did, your confidence is gonna get shaken,” Bochy said. “They're human and they care and that's what makes it tough for these guys to go through. But at the same time, you have to keep working, and he’s been doing that.

"I think [his mindset] has been pretty good. I know when you go through a stretch the way he did, it's not a lot of fun. You're battling and he's been working and just hasn't been getting his hits. He totally understood today, what we were doing [by sitting him]. Give him credit, he didn't put his head down or anything. He was a good teammate, he stayed ready, and then when we called on him, he comes out and hits a big home run.”