“It’s just surviving the season and who can survive the longest” - Evan Carter reflects on multi-hit home run game against the Braves
On Sunday, Texas Rangers outfielder Evan Carter could do no wrong, as he played a significant role in the 6-4 victory against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.
Carter slugged his third homer of the season, going 2-4 with a solo home run and an infield hit in the eighth inning. Entering Sunday's series finale, Carter was only hitting .194, with no multi-hit game on the season.
Sunday's game saw Carter come up big on defensive plays as well. He made two diving catches in left field, a new position he has been adjusting to this season.
“(I’m glad) the defense got to show a little bit today,” Carter said. “I haven't really got to make any abnormal plays this year on defense."
After Sunday's action, Evan Carter admitted his shortcomings at the plate but sounded confident to survive this skid.
“That's what the big leagues is all about,” Carter said. “It’s just surviving the season and who can survive the longest. Who can come out in the end? I think tonight was a great team win, that’s how I'm going to look at it. My goal is to come out and do whatever I can do that night, big or small, to help the team win.
"It's a long, long year, I mean, gosh," Carter added. "Every game that you can have that you can put a good one together is definitely a good thing. But it's over with and I gotta do it again, not tomorrow, but the next day.”
Rangers manager isn't concerned with Evan Carter's skid, sees this phase normal
It's normal to have a little downside after an incredible year. Pitchers and analytics tend to focus more on hitters who were great last season and identify their weaknesses and more often than not, they find results. The same can be said for Evan Carter's skid.
However, it also gives Carter an opportunity to learn from it and maybe make some improvements in his hitting mechanism to get things rolling. Manager Bruce Bochy seems to be on the same page and says that he will turn things around.
“I think the numbers show with how he’s done that he’s not where he wants to be,” Bochy said pregame. “But he’s not where he’s gonna be. But there's a lot of hitters that aren't where they're going to be right now.
"So you're gonna look at them and say they're rookies and (pitchers) have figured them out. But again there's some really good hitters out there that haven't found their game either. I think he’s doing fine. He’ll continue to be back out there.”
Evan Carter needs to generate momentum from Sunday's game as the Rangers end their 10-game road trip and are heading home ready to host the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday.