Medica slugs way to 25-game hit streak
The Padres' catching prospect stroked two more doubles Monday, extending his hitting streak to 25 games as the Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm fell to the Bakersfield Blaze, 6-5.
Medica's streak is the third-longest in the Minors this year, trailing Jake Elmore's 31-game tear for Triple-A Reno and Jurickson Profar's 29-game stretch for Double-A Frisco.
But the streak alone does not communicate Medica's dominance over the past few weeks. He has recorded multiple hits in 10 of his last 13 games, as well as 17 RBIs and 11 extra-base knocks in those contests. He owned a strong .302 average and 1.025 OPS before the tear, but now is hitting .376 with a 1.126 OPS -- marks that would rank second in the California League if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Overall, the 24-year-old first baseman is batting .440 with 18 extra-base hits and 25 RBIs over his last 25 games. He has shown exceptional patience in that time too, drawing 17 of his 22 walks this year during the streak.
Medica got both his hits out of the way early Monday, doubling to lead off the second and then again with two outs in the third. He came around to score in the second on a double-play ball by Connor Powers.
In his second career stint with the Storm, Medica has collected 10 homers, 24 doubles, one triple and 50 RBIs in 46 games this season. The 2010 14th-round pick played 42 games in Lake Elsinore last year, batting .302 with six homers and 17 RBIs.
Justin Miller and Eddy Rodriguez both went deep for Lake Elsinore, driving in three runs combined as the Storm's seven-game winning streak came to an end.
Three Blaze players enjoyed multi-hit performances, led by Kurti Muller, who collected two doubles and two RBIs out of the No. 9 spot.
Bakersfield starter Pat Doyle (8-3) earned the win after allowing five runs in six innings, while three Blaze relievers combined to toss three hitless frames.
David Heck is a contributor to MLB.com