Quentin goes 0-for-Twins as hitting woes continue

Posted May 11, 2010 11:00 pm

Scot Gregor

MINNEAPOLIS - Before breaking his right wrist in a fit of anger late in the 2008 season, Carlos Quentin was well on his way to becoming the American League's MVP.

What happened?

Quentin dealt with several injuries last season, including plantar fasciitis in his left foot, a sore knee and lingering effects from wrist surgery. The 27-year-old outfielder batted just .236 in 99 games, but he managed to hit 21 homers and drive in 56 runs.

This season, Quentin is still trying to find his groove. He appeared to be breaking out after going 3-for-4 with 2 doubles against Toronto on Sunday, but the White Sox' right fielder followed up with an 0-for-8 series against the Twins, dropping his average to .180.

"I don't know if it's mental because he came off of a tough year last year mainly because of injuries," Sox hitting coach Greg Walker said. "But he's healthy now. He just right now has not found his effort level or hasn't found traction. You see him have a game like Sunday and it's like here we go, and then he has a tough day. But he's a worker, a battler, a grinder. We are going to continue to work and when he finds it ..."

Quentin hit a deep drive to right-center field in the sixth inning Wednesday, but the ball died and was caught by Denard Span.

Originally out of Wednesday's lineup, Quentin was a late addition when Andruw Jones was scratched with a sore neck.

"Right now, he's swinging at bad pitches," manager Ozzie Guillen said. "I've never seen Carlos swing at so many bad pitches as he has this year. That kills him. He didn't put up those numbers just because he was lucky. This guy has talent, there's no doubt in my mind."

The slow start is wearing on Quentin, but he said he's better able to deal with adversity now.

"Definitely, two or three years ago this would have been a little rough for me," Quentin said. "I want to go out there and perform as well as I can. But I mature every year and you need to be professional about everything and deal with it accordingly. There are some great veterans in here to help me along the way."