It’s a dream batting average after all.
The Miami Marlins’ “hitting machine” Luis Arajuez is moving further and further away from a .400 batting average.메이저놀이터
Araujo went 1-for-4 in the first inning of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday. His batting average dropped from .370 to .369 (158-for-428). It’s the first time this season that Arajuez’s batting average has dropped below .370.
The collapse of the 3.7s, considered the “base camp” for conquering the quadruple, has effectively ended his dream. The last time the Reds reached the four-figure mark was on 25 June. Cincinnati had played 78 games.
He then broke 3-for-9 on 1 July, and his batting average, which had been fluctuating between 3-for-8 and 3-for-10, stalled at .370 before going silent in Cincinnati on 8 and 9 July, going 1-for-4 and 1-for-4, respectively.
With the heat came a dulling of his bat. He’s batting .323 in the second half, but is hitting .243 in nine games in August.
Arajuez remained at 4 per cent until the team had played 78 games. AFP
Araez, who started at second base for the second time on the day, led off the first inning with a bases-loaded walk and was retired on a grounder to shortstop. On a 2B2S count, he lunged at a 96-mph cutter from Cincinnati right-hander Graham Ashcraft on a six-pitch fastball, but could only manage a grounder to shortstop. It was hit well toward midfield, but Cincinnati shortstop Eli De La Cruz made a diving catch to end the inning with the lead runner out.
In the third inning, Araez tried a cutter up the middle from Kraft, but it was grounded to third base, and in the sixth inning, a cutter up the middle from Kraft was grounded to shortstop.
Araez finally escaped a no-hitter in the eighth inning, after Kraft went down, with two outs and one on, when he lined a 92-mph body sinker to left off left-hander Sam Moll.
Major League Baseball’s website, MLB.com, has been tracking Arajuez’s batting average for the past three days. “If Arajuez’s batting average exceeds .380, we will re-post this section,” MLB.com said in a notice.
The last player to hit .380 after Ted Williams in 1941 was George Brett in 1980, who stayed at .380 through his team’s 134th game. John O’Leary in 1993, Larry Walker in 1997, Tony Gwynn in 1997, Tony Gwynn in 92 games, and Norma Garciaparra in 2000.
Compared to those players, Araújo’s momentum was lost too early.