TORONTO -- The good thing about facing Luis Arraez is that the game plan is very simple.
“Throw it down the middle and hope he hits it at someone,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
There’s no point in trying much else right now.
Arraez was once again the bright spot for the Padres’ struggling offense on Wednesday evening, hitting a double and a triple in a 14-0 loss to the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. The effort extended Arraez’s hitting streak to eight games, and it marked his 14th multi-hit contest of the season.
The game plan may be simple, but it’s far from easy. Arraez’s batting average is now .301 this season, and there’s real comfort in seeing that number begin with a 3. After a slow start to the season, Arraez is all the way back to himself, making contact at a historic rate and putting a ton of pressure on opposing pitchers.
So what changed from then to now?
“Nothing,” Arraez said in Spanish. “I haven’t changed anything. I’ve continued on with my routine, I’ve kept myself mentally strong -- which is important -- and yeah, I’m coming here to play ball and enjoy it. This is a very difficult game, but like I always say, it’s not impossible. We’re working every day to get better, and that’s what I’m doing these days.”
Arraez never doubted he’d turn around the 2-for-23 mark that kicked off his season. The results started to show up in April, and the run at a fourth consecutive batting title has quickly picked up steam. There’s more history at play here, though.
Arraez has posted a 3.4 percent whiff rate. If he’s able to keep that up, it will easily surpass the best single-season mark by a player who has taken at least 500 swings in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008). Marco Scutaro had a 5.6 percent whiff rate in 2012.
No whiffs means very few strikeouts -- three the whole season, to be exact. The last Padre besides Arraez to strike out just three times in the span of 40 games was Tony Gwynn himself, from Sep. 7, 1999 to May 22, 2000. Arraez has a 1.7 percent strikeout rate. The last time a qualified hitter had a rate that low was Nellie Fox in 1961.
“He's unique, man,” Schneider said. “He's looking to see where the infielders are playing as the pitchers come and set and he can shoot it anywhere. He's a pain.”
An old-school pain.
Arraez’s profile doesn’t fit perfectly with much of what is valued in today’s game, but there’s clearly a place for it. The Padres need every bit of it.
“Vintage Luis,” manager Mike Shildt said. “ … He’s in a really good place. And he, like us, is always going to compete. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”
If the Padres could bottle up what they’re seeing from Arraez, they probably would. There was very little else going their way on Wednesday, as the offensive troubles seeped into the field and a once close game snowballed in the late innings due to some defensive miscues.
A second consecutive shutout loss furthered San Diego’s slump to five games. An 0-for-8 finish with runners in scoring position extended that skid to 0-for-33.
“It's starting to creep in, a little bit of guys pressing,” said Shildt. “ … We enjoyed when we won one recently, 21-0, and clearly this one hurts the way it went down at the end of the game today.”
That big win over the Rockies is a good reminder of the nature of this game.
In the same way that Arraez believed in his talent to build back up from an imperfect start, he sees reasons to buy into a turnaround for his team. The season is long, and the opportunities to self correct are plentiful. Keeping a sound mentality is key.
“It’s hard to stay positive when we’re losing, but we’re all grown-ups here,” Arraez said. “We’re adults with families, and that’s what we have to do is stay positive. We know that tomorrow is a new day and we’ll get another chance to come back here and enjoy this beautiful sport.”