June 2, 200521 yr He went 27 for 90 in the month of May, exactly .300. PITTSBURGH -- Florida shortstop Alex Gonzalez has always been known for his glove work, but some minor adjustments he has made at the plate have made him a very productive hitter of late. Gonzalez had an 11-game hitting streak snapped at home against the Mets on Friday. During that stretch, he batted .472 (17-for-36) with six RBIs. After having his streak stopped, Gonzalez bounced back. He has started another hitting streak, piecing together a four-game streak. He has gone 5-for-15 during that period. Gonzalez entered Wednesday night's game hitting .282 with three home runs and 21 RBIs. Gonzalez made some adjustments with his hands during the Marlins' visit to San Diego from May 13-15. He started positioning his hands a few inches higher. Instead of starting his stance with the bat perpendicular to the ground, it's now more above his shoulder, making it easier to pull the trigger. Marlins hitting coach Bill Robinson said Gonzalez works hard and is a good pupil. "He's very receptive," Robinson explained. "When you're not doing what you're capable of doing, you know it and I know it, and the whole world knows it. I try to make little subtle changes -- something small -- and we kind of flattened his bat out a little bit ... and he was receptive to it. "I'm just really happy for him, because you always talk about Alex Gonzalez as a defensive player, but you look at his stats last year -- 23 home runs and 80 RBIs hitting out of the No. 8 hole. This year, he's starting to bring his average up, getting hits and he's not worried so much about home runs."
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.