Diaz busts out of funk in Drillers' win

If you had asked Yusniel Díaz after batting practice on Tuesday for a prediction on how his night would go, he probably wouldn't have been too optimistic. A last-minute meeting with his hitting coach made a world of difference.
The Dodgers' fifth-ranked prospect posted his first four-hit game at the Double-A level, doubling twice, driving in one run and scoring another as Tulsa beat Northwest Arkansas, 9-3, at ONEOK Field. The victory was the Drillers' 14th straight at home, matching a Tulsa baseball record set in 1968.

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"He knows when he feels good and when he doesn't, and today it was actually very rough during batting practice and pregame work," Drillers hitting coach Terrmel Sledge said. "He took extra work, and you can tell he loves to get better, but things were off. We went over some video, and he has to feel the way he wants to. We made a little adjustment, and once it clicks in his head, he feels he can hit anything."
Sledge snapped out of a 4-for-21 funk, starting the night with an RBI double to left field in the first inning and following it with an infield single in the second. The 20-year-old roped another double to left in the fourth and added his final knock with a single to left in the fifth. With hits in his first four at-bats, he benefited from a pregame tweak.
"The key word is aptitude," Sledge said. "Some guys, you tell things and they won't get it. Other guys, you tell them to try things, they'll make adjustments in games. He's one of those types of guys. He's got good bat-to-ball skills, very good hands. There's more in there, more power in there when he learns to use his lower half. Right now, it's very unique for him to be able to keep his hands back while his hands are not in the [best] position. It's rare to see that."

Signed in November 2015, seven months after defecting from his native Cuba, Diaz moved up to Double-A for the first time this year. The outfielder posted a .272/.333/.418 in 82 games with Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga last year and essentially replicated that performance with a .278/.343/.414 line over 83 games in the California League this season. His first taste of the Texas League has been even better.
"I don't want to put the same pressure on him as like a Cody Bellinger, but some guys improve each level they move up," Sledge said. "Others hit a roadblock, but he's so hungry for knowledge and information, it seems like he could be one of those guys who will improve at every single level he gets to. If he's one of those guys, he could go from good to becoming great."

Diaz's third four-hit night across the two levels this season boosted his line to .333/.398/.464 through 25 Texas League games. And he has three doubles in his last three games.
"At Double-A, this is the all-tell sign right here," Sledge said. "If you can pitch good in this league or hit good in this league, you should become a big leaguer. Their eyes light up as they come here, just the atmosphere, the better quality of pitching, and they know they're a step away. It's clicking in [his] head like, 'Hey, I'm a step away from making it to my dream, to be at the ultimate level of baseball,' thinking about how he would support his family and all the work he put in. A-ball is more still at the lower levels, but at Double-A, it's clicked in his head. You see it in his eyes, that appetite. He's very hungry."
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The Drillers got homers from Sean O'Connell and Kyle Garlick, improving to 39-24 and tying Springfield for first place in the North Division second-half race. Tulsa and the Cardinals match up for the final three contests of the regular season.
"They're loose," Sledge said of his team. "These guys have played enough games, it's the end of the year, and there's no panic involved. They're just playing the game, and the good thing about this team and this era, they have fun. I think my era was more stressed like we've got to do it. These guys, they're relaxed and having fun."