Yonder Alonso finding groove at plate after slow start

CHICAGO -- On Friday, Yonder Alonso hit a two-run home run against the White Sox. On Saturday, he just about did the same thing, flying out to the warning track in right field in the eighth inning.

"I'm evolving a bit as a hitter," Alonso said. "Maybe some of those line drives are going out of the park."

Alonso has hit two home runs on this road trip and has three in his last nine games. He knows his game is still using all field and hitting doubles -- he had 39 of them in 2012.

At this point, Alonso is just happy to see some of his hits find anything but gloves. After a slow start, he believes he has found something -- something successful -- with his swing.

Alonso, who is hitting .211, has eight multi-hit performances during this 21-game stretch after he had two such games during his first 35 games this season.

"I think it was just a matter of time … and I was saying that in April," Alonso said. "It was just a matter of time before things got better. I kept hitting balls right at people. I just had to stay with it and trust what I was doing.

"I know the type of hitter I am. I know the player I'm going to be. I've always heard that if you're a good hitter, you're going to hit balls right at people."


(padres.com)