Edwin Encarnacion breaks slump with crucial homer against Rays

Edwin Encarnacion has always been a slow starter and we all expected him to be a slow starter, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch.

The Cleveland Indians slugger, who is signed for $60 million over the next three years, was hitting just .198/.342/.328 coming into today. His recent struggles were especially hard to watch, as he continued to make good contact but nothing was landing, including a line drive earlier tonight. He has even been walking at a great clip and getting on base 34 percent of the time, but that isn’t exactly what he’s signed to do. He’s signed to hit dingers and he’s only hit one in the month of May and two since April 23.

So watching him crush a two-run shot off Jake Odorizzi to bring the Indians with spitting distance of the Tampa Bay Rays was especially satisfying.

The ball came off Edwin’s bat at 108 miles per hour and left Progressive Field at an estimated 407 feet. Unfortunately, there have been a lot of other home runs this game — mostly from the Rays — so the Tribe still trailed after the homer.

Also satisfying was the fact that I totally called it. Is that the entire reason I made this post? So I could brag about calling it? Maybe. Yes.