New stance helps Napoli end slump

WASHINGTON -- The hardest-hit balls off the bat of Mike Napoli in recent weeks have been foul balls, including a blast into the upper deck in Philadelphia on Sunday that went at least 400 feet.

The Angels catcher would gladly trade those long strikes for a couple of dribblers through the infield -- he began Tuesday’s game in a two-for-39 slump that dropped his average from .258 on May 18 to .197 and has cost him considerable playing time.

“He has a lot more potential than to just be a guy who takes driving-range swings with a Big Bertha and hits it a mile or fouls it out of bounds,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “He’s working at it. Hopefully, he’ll start being the tough out he’s been at times.”

Tuesday could be a start. Napoli hit a run-scoring double to left field during the Angels’ six-run first inning and drove a two-run homer to right-center field in the third, his 11th homer of the season but first since May 18.

Napoli met Monday with Scioscia and batting coach Mickey Hatcher, and they agreed that Napoli should lower his hands in his stance, which would help shorten his path to the ball.

Driving the ball to the opposite field, like he did on his homer, “is a real good sign for me,” Napoli said. “It’s a good feeling. It means I’m staying inside the ball. . . . It’s been frustrating because I haven’t been getting hits, but I have to keep working.”

U.S. history

The Angels’ interleague swing through Philadelphia and Washington has been successful -- five wins in five games -- and educational.

Second baseman Howie Kendrick, for instance, toured the White House on Sunday night -- he saw the West Wing, the Oval Office and the press room -- and Tuesday he went to the World War II Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial and Lincoln Memorial.

“That’s one of the perks of interleague play, getting the chance to see these historical things in cities we don’t usually go to,” Kendrick said.

“It makes you think about the things people did for this country, the people who died for our freedom.”

Washington infirmary

Paul Lo Duca’s first start in the outfield in four years didn’t last long. Lo Duca, the former Dodgers catcher, began to feel light-headed during Vladimir Guerrero’s second-inning at-bat and was pulled from the game. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Guerrero, who extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a first-inning run-scoring single, left in the bottom of the second because of flu-like symptoms.

“He was sluggish before the game,” Scioscia said. “He might have eaten something that wasn’t quite right.”

Getting closer

Kelvim Escobar is scheduled to throw 30 pitches and two innings in an Arizona Summer League game today, his first minor league rehabilitation start.

The Angels plan to stretch out Escobar for a possible return to the rotation, but there is a good chance he could return to the bullpen.

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mike.digiovanna@latimes.com