Paul Goldschmidt’s batting average continues to drop in loss to Giants
May 12, 2016, 10:10 PM | Updated: 10:10 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' Paul Goldschmidt (44) talks with home plate umpire Tony Randazzo after a called third strike against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game, Thursday, April 28, 2016, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller’s poor starts to the 2016 season have surprised many, but All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is also having his own struggles.
The 28-year-old went 0-for-4 in Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. He struck out three times, walked once and left five runners on base.
Goldschmidt started his first two at-bats in great situations against Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto.
His at-bats in the first and third innings were with runners on first and second and nobody out. In the first, Goldschmidt would ground into a double play and in the third he struck out.
Unfortunately for Goldschmidt, he didn’t get a chance to redeem himself late in the game. As the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs, Goldschmidt was walked on four pitches to load the bases for Jake Lamb.
Thursday night’s performance dropped Goldschmidt’s average on the season to .232.
Since putting up All-Star numbers in 2013, Goldschmidt has rarely been in this long of a slump. The worst run his batting average took over an extended period of time was in August and September of 2015, when Goldschmidt hit .243 and .265 in the months, respectively.
Now, Goldschmidt is facing an even worse run at the start of the 2016 season. His .247 average in the month of April is his worst start since 2012 and through 11 games in May, he’s hitting only .200.
The good news for D-backs fans is Goldschmidt is still getting on base thanks to his 35 walks that are tied for the most in baseball. His on-base percentage currently sits at .406, a higher number than his 2013 and 2014 total.
