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D-backs' high-contact hitters bring mixed results

SAN DIEGO -- The D-backs offense is swinging and missing less and putting the ball in play more, which is something D-backs manager Kirk Gibson is happy about.

However, the D-backs find themselves hitting into more double plays. Entering play Sunday, Arizona has grounded into 67 double plays, the second most in the Majors this season trailing the Angels' 68.

There are some positives to that number. It means the club is getting more runners on base, and the D-backs are hitting the ball hard, resulting in the hard grounder it usually takes to turn a double play.

"Some of it may be a bad approach, but its probably a mixture of things," Gibson said.

Gibson has thought of solutions to the problem, including possibly starting more runners.

"We make more contact," he said. "Some teams, they pull off the ball more and they don't hit the ball, and we do, and our guys stay on the ball."

But Gibson would rather take his chances with the D-backs putting more balls in play, even if it costs his team some double plays.

"I think we're kind of building a little bit more on contact than we have been in the past," Gibson said.

Jamal Collier is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
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