MINNEAPOLIS — Who knew the Rockies-Twins series would arrive and neither Todd Helton nor Joe Mauer would have a home run in his home ballpark?
It’s true. Helton has gone 87 at-bats at Coors Field without going deep, and Mauer has yet to homer in 101 at-bats at the Twins’ new digs, Target Field.
Mauer, who hit 16 homers at the Metrodome last season, is a gap hitter — and that’s no-man’s land at Target Field. A Twins official estimated that Mauer has settled for doubles on five balls that would have been gone in the Metrodome.
There’s a lot of that going on at Target Field. Through Monday, the Twins had hit 17 home runs in 33 home games, less than half of the 35 they had hit on the road.
Things could be changing for Helton, who came within inches of a home run in the Toronto series and missed the right-field foul pole by a foot on another at-bat. Helton finished the homestand with seven hits in his last three games, then promptly homered off Carl Pavano in the sixth inning Tuesday night.
“His at-bats are better, it’s that simple,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said. “The barrel is getting there where it’s supposed to be. . . . I wouldn’t rule anything out with Todd Helton — nothing.”
Back with a bang.
Troy Tulowitzki was back in the Rockies’ lineup after a two-game absence because of a strained right groin. Monday’s off day gave him three days off.
“If he wasn’t able to play like Tulo, I wouldn’t have him in there,” Tracy said. “I don’t want to sit here and put a part of Troy Tulowitzki on the field.”
The break didn’t hurt Tulo- witzki’s timing; he homered to left field in his first at-bat.
Return of the Giambino.
Tracy, when asked how much three games at DH would help Jason Giambi: “Just go back and look at what took place at Kansas City.”
Giambi went 5-for-14 vs. the Royals, including a three-run homer off Zack Greinke. He went into Tuesday hitting .211 in 57 at-bats — 1-for-13 as a pinch hitter — with two homers and 11 RBIs.
“You send him up there in a game-on-the-line situation, you’re going to get the best he’s got,” Tracy said. “So are there going to be some big hits between now and the end of the season? Yeah, you’re going to see some of that.”
Footnotes.
Apparently, Ubaldo Jimenez’s legend has a lot of spreading to do. The Minneapolis Star Tribune referred to him in Tuesday’s editions as a “modest left-hander.” . . . Right fielder Brad Hawpe, 0-for-12 to finish the homestand, was out of the lineup.
Jim Armstrong, The Denver Post
