Barons' Jimenez ends slump with four hits

The only area where Eloy Jiménez struggled over his last four games entering Saturday was the stat line.
The top White Sox prospect was in a 1-for-15 funk, but according to Double-A Birmingham manager Ryan Newman, it was simply a product of being unable to find open space on the field.
Jimenez found plenty of space on Saturday as he completed a perfect 4-for-4 night at the plate with an infield single in his final at-bat as the Barons dropped a 7-2 decision to Montgomery at Regions Field.

"It's really the same with him every single night," Newman said. "He always hits the ball hard, but the last few games he just hasn't had much luck as far as hitting it right at someone. But he always drives the ball. He's a special hitter and tonight he found some holes."
Jimenez started his big night with a hard-hit single to center field in the opening frame on a 2-2 offering from right-hander Zach Lee (6-1). The knock ended an 0-for-9 drought.
"The numbers may not have been there for him coming into tonight, but that's not going to last too long with the type of hitter that he is," Newman said.
In the third, MLB.com's No. 3 overall prospect roped a two-out double to left, scoring on a towering two-run dinger from White Sox No. 21 prospect Seby Zavala, who leads the Southern League with 10 homers.
Gameday box score
The 21-year-old got his third hit off Lee with another two-bagger to right leading off the sixth. And on an 0-1 offering from reliever Curtis Taylor that broke his bat in the eighth, Jimenez beat the throw from second baseman and Rays No. 11 prospectNick Solak.
"The [skid] didn't faze him one bit. He's a professional hitter and he's beyond his years as far as his approach at the plate," Newman said. "No matter what is going on with Eloy, he is the same guy every night and the next day. He was just having bad luck there and today he didn't hit them right at someone and he got four hits. In his last at-bat, they played a shift and he went the other way and beat it."
For the 2013 international class talent, it was his sixth career game with at least four hits and first since last July when he went 5-for-6 with a homer and two doubles for Class A Advanced Winston-Salem.

No. 14 White Sox prospect Spencer Adams (2-5) started for the Barons and surrendered four runs on eight hits with two walks. The right-hander fanned nine over 4 2/3 innings.
The top of the order accounted for almost all of Montgomery's offense as the Biscuits' first four hitters totaled eight of their 12 hits. Rays No. 14 prospectBrandon Lowe and Solak both had three hits and scored twice, while 24th-ranked Ryan Boldt and Dalton Kelly went yard.
"We go out every night to compete and win ballgames, we're always looking for a 'W,'" Newman said, "And Eloy did everything he could to help us do that tonight."