Grizzlies' Hernandez has two-homer inning
Yadiel Hernandez is quietly putting up one of the better offensive seasons in the Minor Leagues. That under-the-radar success might not last much longer.The veteran Nationals outfielder bookended an eight-run fourth inning with a pair of homers and drove in four runs as Triple-A Fresno rolled past New Orleans, 10-4,
The veteran Nationals outfielder bookended an eight-run fourth inning with a pair of homers and drove in four runs as Triple-A Fresno rolled past New Orleans, 10-4, on Wednesday night at The Shrine on Airline.
Hernandez is fourth in the Pacific Coast League in batting and is tied for sixth with a team-high 16 homers, two off the career high he set last season. Overall, he's batting .360/.446/.697 with 26 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs in 52 games.
The 31-year-old flied to right field in his first at-bat before turning on the power in the Grizzlies' big fourth inning. Hernandez kicked off the eight-run outburst with a solo shot to center field and capped it with a two-run blast to left to become the second Minor Leaguer to achieve the feat this year. Pawtucket's
Gameday box score
Hernandez batted with the bases loaded in the sixth and collected his fourth RBI when he reached on a fielder's choice and throwing error by first baseman
Hernandez defected in 2015 in the midst of a standout career in the Cuban National Series. He signed with the Nationals as a free agent in September 2016 after compiling a .321/.443/.478 slash line in six seasons with Matanzas. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound outfielder entered Wednesday's game with a .301 average in exactly 1,000 Minor League at-bats.
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Michael Avallone is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @MavalloneMiLB.