Ozuna moves past hitting woes with grand night

MIAMI -- Inexperience shows from time to time with Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna.

The 23-year-old entered Wednesday night in a bit of a rut. Heading into the game against the Phillies, Ozuna was 8-for-57 (.140) with two homers, seven RBIs and 22 strikeouts in May.

Because of his struggles, the center fielder was dropped to eighth in the order.

But the reason Ozuna was not benched is because of what he is capable of showing on any given night. On Wednesday, he broke out of his slump with a grand slam and an RBI single in the Marlins' 14-5 victory. The five RBIs is a career high.

Prior to May, Ozuna was 32-for-100 (.320) with four homers and 16 RBIs.

"He goes through spurts where he's too aggressive, and then he's too patient," manager Mike Redmond said. "He will take some fastballs and swing at some breaking balls, which happens with a lot of young guys. The big leagues are a monster."

Like many of the young Marlins players, Ozuna has his hot and cold stretches.

"We've talked about there being a learning curve for some guys," Redmond said. "The league continues to make adjustments on them, and they've got to continue making adjustments on the league. There are scouts up there every night. They're watching these guys and trying to figure out weaknesses they can exploit. Ozuna needs to make those adjustments. He has the ability to make those adjustments. At the same time, too, you've got to do it in the game. I know he can do it."