Luis Arraez, designated hitter for the San Diego Padres, continues a historic streak that began in late August and has extended into September. He is also the batting leader and is determined to lead his team to the MLB postseason.
On Sunday, Arraez went 3-for-5 with a run scored in a 7-6 loss to the San Francisco Giants. But more importantly, he avoided strikeouts, extending a streak that has put him in the history books.
Arraez has racked up 115 consecutive plate appearances without a strikeout. His last strikeout dates back to Aug. 10. Since the All-Star break, he has struck out just twice and recorded five three-hit games.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Arraez’s streak is now the fourth-longest in the majors since 2000. However, he still has a long way to go to reach the record of 170 strikeout-free appearances set by Tony Gwynn with the Padres in 1995.
Luis Arraez #4 of the San Diego Padres scores a run on a single off the bat of Manny Machado against the St. Louis Cardinals in the first inning at Busch Stadium. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Postseason fight tightens for Padres
Despite Arraez’s strong performance, the Padres couldn’t get the win Sunday. Starter Joe Musgrove struggled early on, and the team fell behind by six runs. This was San Diego’s third loss in four days.
“These losses are not nice,” Musgrove said. “But to be down 7-1 and struggling to get back into the game within a run of each other is a sign of a good team. If we continue like this, we will be on the winning side in some of those games. But we feel good… We think we’re in a good position.”
The Padres still hold the top spot in the National League Wild Card. However, their lead over the Braves and Mets, tied for the final playoff spot, has been reduced to just two games. That’s the shortest distance the Padres have had from the postseason cutoff since Aug. 5.
A difficult challenge is approaching for Arraez
Arraez’s ability to make the most of his contact will be tested starting Tuesday in Seattle. The Mariners are the team that allows the lowest batting average on balls in play (.264) in the majors.
