Relaxed Crawford breaks out for IronPigs

When J.P. Crawford was promoted to Triple-A, he wasn't just trying to do too much at the plate -- he was trying to do everything at once.

"I'd been trying to get three hits in one at-bat," the Phillies' top prospect said.

On Wednesday, a more relaxed Crawford achieved his goal in three at-bats.

MLB.com's No. 3 overall prospect went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored as Triple-A Lehigh Valley edged Gwinnett, 7-5, at Coca-Cola Park.

"Today, I just kind of stayed within myself and tried to put the ball in play hard somewhere," Crawford said. "I got some hard contact today."

The IronPigs shortstop entered a 10-game homestand on Friday mired in a 1-for-20 slump. After an 0-for-4 performance in the opener, he's collected hits in his last four contests.

Crawford's surge peaked on Wednesday, starting with a double to right field leading off the bottom of the third inning. The 2013 first-round pick followed that by stinging another double -- his fourth in the International League -- to center in the fourth. A sixth-inning single up the middle rounded out his second three-hit performance since a May 20 promotion from Double-A Reading.

"I felt great today," Crawford said. "I've kind of made some adjustments from getting called up and it finally felt good to have a good day at the plate. Me and my hitting coach [Sal Rende], we've been working on just staying short and trying to hit the gaps."

Crawford has raised his IL average 45 points to .198 in the last four games. And while he struggled during his first month at Triple-A, the California native said his more focused approach is helping turn things around.

"I think I was just trying to do a lot, way too much at the plate, trying to hit home runs and whatnot, stepping away from my game at the plate," he said of his first weeks at the Minors' highest level. "Tonight, I stayed within myself and went back to the game plan and stuck with it.

"The pitches you can't handle early in the count, you just take them. I think that comes with me being comfortable hitting with one or two strikes."

Could Wednesday's outburst represent a turning point for the 21-year-old?

"Hopefully," he said. "I felt like there was going to be a spark yesterday that starts a forest fire. We'll see what happens over the next couple games."

Brock Stassi also had three hits, including a double, and drove in a run for Lehigh Valley. Luis Garcia improved to 4-1 after allowing a hit and two walks while striking out one over 1 2/3 frames in relief of starter Anthony Vasquez. Edward Mujica recorded his league-leading 15th save, despite giving up a run on three hits in the ninth.

Braves No. 11 prospect Lucas Sims (2-6) surrendered seven runs on nine hits and three walks with four strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings in his 10th start for Gwinnett.