After cold start to trip, aggressive D-backs bust out

Segura hits 2 of Arizona's 5 home runs in rout of Nationals

September 27th, 2016

WASHINGTON -- In the first six games of this 10-game, three-city road trip, the D-backs managed to score just 10 runs.
Monday night, though, their bats came alive as they pounded out 13 hits in a 14-4 win over the Nationals at Nationals Park.
"We've been struggling with runs, struggling with hits," D-backs manager Chip Hale said. "And I felt tonight we came out of it. It was great."
The D-backs got production up and down the order with every starter collecting at least one hit.
"It's pretty great to see those guys swing the bats so well," D-backs second baseman said. "It's a good feeling."
Segura hit two of the D-backs' five home runs -- both to right-center. It was his fifth career multi-homer game and fourth this year. Segura also added a single in the sixth, giving him a three-hit night and leaving him just four hits shy of 200 for the season.
"We're looking at that 200 number and we want him to get it," Hale said. "When he's hitting the ball to right-center, down the right-field line that's when he's at his best."

Segura, who became the first D-backs player in team history to collect at least 30 hits in every month of the season, has been trying not to think about the 200-hit plateau.
"I know I'm getting close," he said. "But I don't want to put too much pressure on myself."
, meanwhile, had been struggling with his timing at the plate, carrying a 1-for-15 mark on the trip into Monday's game.
Hale moved Lamb up to the No. 2 spot in the order, hoping that he would see more fastballs in that spot. Who can say for sure whether or not it had any effect, but Lamb finished the night with a pair of hits, including a solo homer.

"Two-hole has some hits in it," Lamb said with a smile. "Nah, I mean for me, personally, it was nice to find the barrel of the bat a few times during the game. Our offense was just on fire tonight. It was fun to watch."
drove in five runs on the night and smacked his 30th homer of the season, while also went deep.

All of the offensive fireworks started after Nats starter set down the first nine batters he faced.

"We were aggressive," Hale said. "We were aggressive from the start tonight. If he threw fastballs in the zone early we wanted to go after it and it didn't work out the first time around, but I thought it kind of loosened everybody up."