PHILADELPHIA -- There's been little for Marlins fans to cheer about during the past two-plus weeks, as their once Wild Card-hopeful club has dropped 15 of 17, punctuated by getting swept by the Phillies on Thursday.
But second baseman Dee Gordon has continued to hit through the losses, rapping a base hit to left field in Thursday night's 10-0 loss in Philadelphia, extending his career-high hitting streak -- and the longest active streak in the Majors -- to 17 games.
Gordon's 1-for-4 night continued his streak, the longest by a Marlins player since Giancarlo Stanton's 17-game streak in April-May 2014. Gordon is batting .304/.341/.367, and during the streak, he is hitting .392/.408/.894.
"His on-base is starting to sneak up there, which you like out of the leadoff spot," manager Don Mattingly said.
After Stanton moved to the No. 2 spot and started his homer barrage, Gordon's leadoff role became even more important.
Gordon's current on-base percentage ranks second in his career, behind his .359 mark when he won the National League batting title in 2015. He's already matched his walk total from that season (25), and is six off tying his career high of 31 in 2014.
"He's been good in all areas," Mattingly said. "Dee's had a really nice year."
With those increased chances on the basepaths, Gordon has wreaked havoc, stealing 53 bases -- what Mattingly referred to as "a bunch" -- which ranks second in MLB this season, 22 more than third-place Jose Altuve's 31. Gordon looks up only to Billy Hamilton, who has swiped 58 bags.
For Gordon, since being traded from the Dodgers prior to the 2015 season, it's been about the process, not his results. You can find a similar phrase on his personalized workout T-shirts, and even the decal on the knob of his bat.
The proverb came about when a pair of hitting coaches in Triple-A urged changes in Gordon's hitting stance. He hadn't been hitting well in the big leagues, and needed his hands lowered, his base widened and his legs more engaged. Gordon slumped immediately, his .360 batting average dropping to around .260.
"Just trust the process, they said," Gordon recalls. "I was like, 'No. ... I don't want to trust the process, I want hits right now.'"
Eventually, the coaching prevaled, the results followed and Gordon's view of his production and execution became process-oriented, not results-based. He still implements those swing changes today.
"It's more for me," Gordon said of the motto. "Don't think just because you got some lucky hits that you actually did good. That's pretty much what it's for, the process of doing it, executing the way you hit the right way. The result is the result, as long as you did it right, you can go home feeling all right with yourself."