Mike Napoli’s struggles of late were nothing to laugh about, but his slide into third base Tuesday night for a slump-busting triple, that’s a different story.
The Cleveland Indians first baseman entered Tuesday’s game against the Chicago White Sox mired in the middle of an ice-cold slump. In the previous five games, Napoli was just 1-for-22 with 12 strikeouts.
However, he showed signs of life Monday with a home run, and judging by Tuesday, he seems to have broken out of said slump. Napoli went 2-for-4, with the highlight being a two-run triple against Chicago ace Chris Sale.
The triple was nice — it was the 10th of Napoli’s career — but the first baseman’s “slide” attempt overshadowed the actual hit itself.
Napoli went head first into third base, which really ended up being a face-first descent.
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Napoli’s three-bagger was one of the seven hits Sale allowed to Cleveland, as the Indians tagged the big left-hander for his first loss of the season. Sale lasted only 3 1/3 innings and allowed six runs. He allowed six runs combined in his five starts previous to Tuesday night’s loss.
