Arizona Diamondbacks: A.J. Pollock, Top of Order Need to Bounce Back

The top of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ batting order really struggled at the end of their disappointing series with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona dropped the final three games of the series after winning Game 1.

It’s funny how quickly things can turn in baseball. One day, something works like a charm only to have it become a nuisance the next day. The Arizona Diamondbacks know this all too well recently, as the top of their batting order pulled a disappearing act versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Immediately before the series, leadoff hitter Steven Souza Jr. literally outscored the San Francisco Giants by himself in a 3-1 win.

More from Heat Waved

• Arizona Coyotes: Slumping Strome Shipped to Chicago
• Arizona Cardinals Paid Sam Bradford $6.75 Million Per TD Pass
• Former Arizona Basketball Star Allonzo Trier Remarkably Efficient Lately
• Arizona Coyotes: How Coach Rick Tocchet Sparked His Offense
• Arizona State Basketball Has Two Transfers Ready to Compete

While it’s hard to say one thing is the reason for three losses in a row, it’s very hard to eat when the table isn’t set. During their three-game losing streak, Arizona’s No. 1 and No. 2 hitters put up a pitiful .130 batting average (3-for-23) with just one run scored.

A.J. Pollock, the team’s No. 2 hitter, was especially woeful at the plate during this period (1-for-11) and has been for a while now. In his last 28 at-bats, the All-Star outfielder is hitting .036 (1-for-28).

Since the end of July, Pollock has seen his batting average fall over 30 points from .291 to .260.

On the bright side, things could turn around just as fast as they sank. The Arizona Diamondbacks will now play a series against the San Diego Padres, a team that’s 31 games under .500 with a mediocre pitching staff. Plus, they’ll finally return home to play in front of their loyal fans — that always helps.

Pollock, it should be noted, hasn’t struck out all that much in his recent despair. During his 1-for-28 stretch, he’s only K’d six times. Additionally, Pollock has eaten Padres’ pitching all year with a .347 batting average (16-for-47) in 12 games. He’s also homered three times against San Diego.

Arizona needs the top of the lineup to come through, like right away. They’ve fallen to third place in the NL West behind the first-place Dodgers (1 GB) and second-place Rockies (0.5 GB). They’ll host San Diego tonight at 8:10 P.M ET.