'Dogs' Mateo runs wild on four-hit night

It's plug and play lately for Jorge Mateo. The Charleston RiverDogs are enjoying watching the process.

The Yankees' No. 3 prospect extended his hitting streak to nine games and continued his impressive season on the basepaths with three stolen bases Saturday night as Class A Charleston beat Asheville, 6-1.

"He's got a very high ceiling, talent-wise," RiverDogs hitting coach Greg Colbrunn said. "Today, he had a good day. He hit a couple balls hard, a couple others in the hole. He's got a lot going for us.

Mateo singled leading off the first and second and added a base hit in the fourth before ripping a ground-rule double to open the sixth. The native of the Dominican Republic native matched a career high with four hits, the first time he's done it since July 12, 2013.

"He just goes up there and tries to get on base, puts together quality at-bats," Colbrunn said. "Once he gets on base, he knows how to make things happen, knows [pitchers'] moves, knows how to get good jumps."

Since the calendar turned to June, Mateo has been on a tear. In 17 games this month, the shortstop has been on a tear, batting .292/.346/.717. During his nine-game hitting streak, he's 14-for-41 with seven steals and six runs scored, lifting his average 14 points to .273 and his OPS from .673 to .705.

Mateo scored twice on Saturday night and swiped three more bags, giving him a Minor League-leading 46 thefts. In the first, he swiped second and home and, after his leadoff single in the second, He stole second. Mateo has stolen at least one base in four of his last six games.

The three steals matched the season high he established on April 25.

"It's nice when you have speed on the bases," Colbrunn said. "For young hitters or hitters in general [behind him], he's done a nice job. Our hitters work on getting a chance to give him a chance to steal, taking some pitches and getting deeper into counts. When you have speed on the bases, you can get him into scoring position, it helps our offense.

"He's working on all facets of the game. He's done a great job as a hitter with his strike zone discipline, working counts, getting deeper into counts. He's played quality defense in the field, making the routine plays, making spectacular plays too. He's done a great job."

With Mateo setting the table at the plate, Charleston starter Matt Wotherspoon (2-0) worked confidently on the mound. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed four hits and a walk over six scoreless innings, striking out six.