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By GABRIEL CORDOBA
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – Two innings into a game against the Atlanta Braves earlier this month, the Diamondbacks found themselves in a 6-1 hole.
When A.J. Pollock stepped to the plate in the bottom of the fifth inning, the deficit was 7-3.
Pollock promptly deposited a Mike Foltynewicz pitch into the left field seats for a solo home run. 7-4 Diamondbacks.
In the seventh inning, Pollock’s lead-off double began a rally that ultimately gave the Diamondbacks an 8-7 lead by the time the inning was over.
One inning later, Braves reliever Jim Johnson threw away a ground ball from Pollock and gave the Diamondbacks an insurance run. Final score: 9-8 Diamondbacks.
Pollock’s efforts that afternoon are a prime example of why there is chatter that he may be named to his first All-Star team this season.
“Honestly it would be a really cool thing to happen, to go to the All-Star Game, but the game everyday and for this team, that’s my focus coming in and just playing hard for the team. If it happens it happens, if it doesn’t it doesn’t happen,” Pollock said.
The Diamondbacks’ potent offense leads the National League in runs per game, at 4.47 entering Friday’s play. Leading the way are Pollock, whose 43 runs scored ranks sixth in the National League, and Paul Goldschmidt, who is atop the NL with 50.
Goldschmidt receives much of the credit for the D-back’s offensive success, and rightfully so. To go along with his 50 runs scored, he entered Friday’s game with a major-league-leading .357 batting average, 19 home runs, 54 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The MVP candidate is leading all first basemen in votes and appears likely to start for the National League in Cincinnati next month.
However, with the year Pollock has put up thus far, he may join Goldschmidt along the shores of the Ohio River in July.
“I was semi-joking, but I think I got the easiest job in baseball with him and, unfortunately (Ender Inciarte’s) hurt, but with those guys hitting one and two, it seems like there’s two guys on base every time I come up. I just got to roll over to short and get an RBI, Goldschmidt said. “You get spoiled hitting behind those guys. They’ve really jump started, sort of our whole team, but especially the offense, put a lot of pressure on the pitcher and defense with how fast they are, makes everyone else’s job a lot easier.”
For most of the season, Pollock has found himself batting just ahead of Goldschmidt.
“It’s good. There’s some situations that you know you’re gonna get a little bit better of a pitch because you don’t wanna be pitching to Goldy with another guy on base. It’s fun,” said Pollock, who entered Friday’s game hitting .306, with 8 home runs, 31 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.
“I like being on base in front of him, steal some bags and you can take advantage of some things,” Pollock said. “There’s a lot of focus on him when you’re on the base I try to utilize that and take advantage of it.”
Pollock, who the Diamondbacks drafted No. 17 overall out of Notre Dame in the 2009 draft, has already matched his career highs in both home runs and stolen bases. With over half of the season left to play, he’s poised for a big year.
Veteran pitcher Brad Ziegler has been with the Diamondbacks since 2011 and has watched Pollock grow since his major league debut in 2012. Ziegler said Pollock’s talent was never the question.
“The biggest thing is he’s healthy,” said Ziegler of Pollock, who was forced to miss three months of the the 2014 season after breaking his right hand. “Last couple years he’s been nicked up a little bit, never getting 100 percent regular playing time and now that he is you can just kind of see the talent he has and how he works to get better.”
