Stanton's Swing Key To Marlins Recent Wins
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – When the season started for the Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton was expected to be the big bat at the clean-up spot. He struggled early in the season and was bumped down the lineup.
Since then, he moved his hands back four inches in his stance, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald, and everything started clicking.
"Keep [the hands] back here and the shoulder stays down," Stanton told the Herald. "Four damn inches was the whole thing."
Before he changed his stance at the end of April, he was hitting .234 with no home runs and five RBI's. Since the change, he's hitting .344 with two doubles, six home runs, and 12 RBI's.
Marlins hitting coach Eduardo Perez told the Herald he wanted the hitters to create more backspin on swings, especially at home. Perez said high flyballs won't get out of Marlins Park; instead, the players need to hit more line drives.
The Marlins have thrived since Stanton got into the groove this season. The team is undefeated in May and looking for their eighth straight victory Tuesday night against the Astros.
Miami has used the winning streak to move one game over .500 and the team is just one game behind the New York Mets for third place in the National League East.
It's still very early, but the Marlins are finally starting to look like the team people expected. Now if the Marlins can get Jose Reyes hitting better and get Heath Bell in better shape as the team's closer, things may really start clicking.
