Carlos Correa is fighting at the plate to improve his numbers for Twins

DETROIT – When Carlos Correa takes swings in the batting cage, he said, he's trying to find ways to bring sexy back.

Correa wasn't referencing Justin Timberlake's song. That's his description when he is feeling his best at the plate, a feeling that has eluded him through the first half of the season. Through 67 games, he's posted a .216 batting average and a .703 OPS, which are both the lowest marks of his career.

"It's a constant grind every at-bat where I've got to fight for hits, and I've got to fight to just feel sexy at the plate," Correa said. "But I feel like I'm not that far off right now. A good week will get me back on track and put me over an .800 OPS. I've just got to get going when it comes to that, get a good streak going."

There have been moments where Correa looked like he was on the verge of a breakout. There was the go-ahead grand slam at Toronto. He hit a walk-off homer against Milwaukee to begin the last homestand, which included his signature "My Time" wrist tap celebration.

It's all been short-lived.

After sitting for three games due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot this month, Correa has recorded a .238 batting average and .282 on-base percentage in his past 17 games. He's hitting for power with four homers, four doubles and one triple in 67 at-bats, but he still hasn't entered a prolonged hot streak like he did after a slow start last year.

"I haven't felt like I go to a game and I'm going to hit four homers — even though I'm probably not going to do it — but just the feeling of you only need to go out there, see the ball and just hit it," Correa said. "It's just a constant battle with mechanics and my stance and diving over the plate and all that."

Correa declined to talk about the status of his foot, but he's been in the lineup every game since a three-game absence. He attributed some of his inconsistency to the cat-and-mouse game with pitchers and how the league constantly adjusts.

One example: He had a .597 slugging percentage against four-seam fastballs last year, according to StatCast, but he's seen fewer of them this year and he's slugging only .397 against them.

Correa's batting average on balls in play is .253, well below his .314 career mark, and that can indicate some level of bad luck.

"We know when he's feeling sexy," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said, "when he's tapping the watch. When he's feeling sexy, he's shooting missile line drives all over the field. That's what sexy looks for him."

Correa is pleased with some of the adjustments he's made in the past couple of weeks. He's seen improvements in driving the ball, though he knows he needs to show more consistency.

"He's got as good of a baseball mind as you're ever going to find in a major league clubhouse," Baldelli said. "There are no guarantees in life or in baseball, but the one guarantee I do have is he's going to be working towards getting himself in the best possible place."

Three ejections

Arguing for a balk from the dugout earned Baldelli a second-inning ejection from home-plate umpire Lance Barrett on Friday.

"No more, Rocco," said Barrett, caught on the TV mics. "I'm telling you right now, you're not going to yell out of the dugout the entire game. No more."

Baldelli yelled out once more and Barrett quickly signaled the ejection. Baldelli thought Tigers lefthander Joey Wentz wasn't coming set with runners on base and should have been called for a balk.

That was the first of three ejections for the Twins. Center fielder Michael A. Taylor was ejected by Barrett after taking a called third strike in the sixth inning, and soon assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon was, too.

Etc.

• The Twins demoted reliever Oliver Ortega to Class AAA St. Paul after one relief appearance to make room for Kenta Maeda on the 26-man active roster. Ortega allowed two runs and one hit in his lone appearance Tuesday.

• Mark Contreras hit a go-ahead, two-run double in a four-run seventh inning and the Saints came back to beat host Toledo 10-6. Louie Varland gave up six hits and five runs in 4⅔ innings in his first start since being sent down from the Twins this week.