Struggling Carlos Correa understands boos in Twins' loss - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — With each empty at-bat by Carlos Correa, the exasperation mounted in the crowd in Minnesota.

The boos at the end were merely the natural progression.

Correa went 0-for-5 — dropping his batting average to .185 — and stranded six runners on base for the Twins in their 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night, and the star shortstop said he «absolutely» heard the booing that followed his last two fruitless plate appearances.

«I'd boo myself too with the amount of money I'm making, if I'm playing like that,» said Correa, who signed a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins on Jan. 11 after richer agreements with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets fell through amid concern about the long-term health of his ankle.

There's no injury here, just a stunningly slow start to the season for a player the Twins committed more money to than anyone else in franchise history — hence the boos.

«Obviously, (the boos are) acceptable. It's part of the game, part of sports,» Correa said. «Fans want production, and fans want a team that's going to compete out there and win games. It's to be expected when you play poorly. But at the same time, the work doesn't stop. I'm going to keep working and keep focusing on the things I can control, and the results will come.»

The Twins (19-17), who still lead the American League Central by two games over the Cleveland Guardians and 2½ games over the Detroit Tigers on the strength of their starting pitching, have scored six runs in their past four games. They had 28 hits in 58 innings on a 2-4 road trip last week and have fallen to last in the major leagues in batting average at .219. They have the fifth-most strikeouts.

«Even though we haven't been playing our best