Torkelson goes 7-for-7 with 3 HRs in twin bill

Playing with new equipment, a clear mindset and special guests in town, Spencer Torkelson was ready for Thursday’s doubleheader. He showed it with one of the best days of his young professional career.

Baseball’s No. 2 prospect went a combined 7-for-7 with three home runs and a double while outfielder Riley Greene (No. 13) added two blasts of his own as Double-A Erie swept its twin bill from Altoona with wins of 15-1 and 6-0 at UPMC Park.

“I was in the cage yesterday kind of figuring some things out, not tweaking anything really but just getting back to me,” Torkelson said of Wednesday’s work after the SeaWolves and Curve were rained out. “I felt really good. I was kind of pissed we got rained out, and then I was like, alright, this gives me another day to master it a little bit. I brought it into the game, kept my same approach, middle of the field and see it up. I definitely saw the ball well and had an alright day.”

“Alright” is certainly a modest description. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick got Erie’s day started in the first inning of Thursday’s opener with a two-run homer, his 17th of the season and 12th in 47 games since a promotion to Double-A in mid-June. Torkelson then singled twice in a 10-run third-inning outburst, while Greene provided the biggest blow of the frame with a grand slam to right field. It was the 13th homer in 80 Double-A games this season for Greene, the fifth overall pick in 2019.

Torkelson added a two-run double in the sixth to finish Thursday’s first game 4-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs, boosting his Double-A OPS to .915. Greene went 2-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs, lifting his mark to .869.

In the second game, Torkelson didn’t cool off, boosted in part by some input he got earlier in the week.

“The season gets so monotonous,” the Arizona State product said. “Every day can be the same day if you let it, almost, so I got really good advice from my old hitting coach [at ASU], Mike Earley. He was like, ‘You have the luxury, you could tell your agent you want new bats. Get new batting gloves. Get new cleats just to feel different, just to change something up in your brain to where the hundredth game feels like the first game. Do the best you can to have a new day every day.’”

In addition to Earley’s emphasis on eating right and getting good sleep, Torkelson took his guidance on the equipment front.

“I don’t know what game it is,” said Torkelson, who’s played 79 this year, “but it felt right. I got a new pair of turf [shoes], got some new batting gloves, had a new bat. You feel fresh.”

Erie's top third of the order belted back-to-back-to-back homers to open the bottom of the first in the second game. Greene started the barrage with a leadoff blast to left-center, and No. 19 Tigers prospect Ryan Kriedler followed with one of his own to a similar spot. Torkelson rounded it out with his 13th homer of the year on a shot to center, staking Erie to a 3-0 lead.

“The whole vibe is contagious,” Torkelson said. “Our pitchers today went out there and shoved. They were throwing strikes, getting ahead in counts, and the defense was playing solid behind them. That feeds the offense, and then when Riley leads off the game with a home run, I mean, you know it’s going to be a good day. Everyone just feeds off each other. We’re having a good time, making the most of it.”

Torkelson singled on a liner to right in the fourth inning and then finished off his monster doubleheader with a solo shot to left in the fifth. All told, the Arizona State product went 7-for-7 with three home runs, a double, six RBIs and five runs scored. Since joining the SeaWolves on June 15, Torkelson has batted .271/.384/.584 in 48 games. So far, August has been his most impressive stretch. After Thursday's contests, the corner infielder boasts a .342/.444/.737 slash line in 10 games this month and has multiple hits in three of his last four games.

Thursday’s performance had another fun storyline for Torkelson: it came in front of his parents, Rick and Lori, who saw their son in person for the first time since mid-June when he was in High-A -- though not for long.

“Last time they came to watch me play, they went to West Michigan, and I had a really good week,” he said. “That was the week before I got promoted.

“I’m telling them, ‘You guys can live in my apartment,’” he added with a laugh. “‘Move in.’”