Last year, Luis Arraez led all Major League Baseball players in batting average (.354), earning him a second All-Star selection and second Silver Slugger Award. After being traded by the Miami Marlins to the San Diego Padres earlier this month, the Venezuelan slugger has rediscovered his bat.
In his last two games, Arraez had eight hits, three RBIs, and 12 total bases against the Cincinnati Reds. He has 20 hits in his last 38 at-bats and has eight straight games with at least two hits.
His streak started on May 14 against the Colorado Rockies, collecting two hits and an RBI in five at-bats. Since then, he had five more two-hit games, spanning their series against the Atlanta Braves and the Reds.
Luis Arraez has:
— MLB (@MLB) May 23, 2024
Back-to-back 4-hit games
EIGHT STRAIGHT multi-hit games
20 hits in his last 38 at-bats pic.twitter.com/NdX0SZeQan
Getting 12 hits in two games led to back-to-back victories for the Padres, keeping them at pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West lead and a potential Wild Card bid.
In 17 games with the Padres, Arraez is hitting .419/.449/.514 with one home run and seven RBIs. Add his totals from the 33 games with the Marlins this year, and he’s still hitting .341/.382/.422 with 12 RBIs and a league-leading 72 hits.
In addition to his impressive hitting, the Padres will also need Arraez to do a fantastic job in covering the field after Xander Bogaerts’ injury.
-Lance Fernandez