Bill on Baseball: Hoppers Continue Solid Hitting in 11-1 Win
With three of their best hitters promoted to Bradenton, it was only natural to believe the Hoppers might have some trouble getting hits and scoring runs.That hasn't turned out to be the case. Even with Rodolfo Castro, Lolo Sanchez and Mason Martin gone, the lineup has continued to rake. The
With three of their best hitters promoted to Bradenton, it was only natural to believe the Hoppers might have some trouble getting hits and scoring runs.
That hasn't turned out to be the case. Even with
That wrapped up a six-game homestand in which the Hoppers churned out 52 runs. They hit five homers Wednesday to follow the four they thumped Tuesday night.
Although
The Hoppers now carry a .253 team batting, average, best in the South Atlantic League by six points. They also lead with 487 RBIs and 545 runs and are second with 102 homers. And although they didn't have any stolen bases Wednesday, they lead that category, too, with 116.
Macias, who hit just .132 in April, has been on a tear since, well over .300 for the months of May, June and July.
"He's very consistent with his routine in batting practice," said hitting coach Chris Petersen. "He stays within himself so there's no difference between batting practice and the game. He's hitting line drives that carry and he's swinging at good pitches and not missing them."
Petersen didn't know that the team had become №1 in the league in batting average.
"To me, that's not important," he said. "It's great for them, but I don't even know anyone's batting average. I can tell you who hit the ball hard and how many times they did it. The approach we take is to make consistent, solid contact.
"I don't care who's up in any situation. They're all tough outs and they're taking ownership of their at-bats and competing every time."
On the pitching side,
There was a massive shift in the infield when shortstop
NOTES: The Hoppers head on the road to Augusta for four games, starting Thursday … After a day off, they return home on July 23 for seven games against Asheville and Kannapolis … Suns starter