By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Zack Granite wasn’t hiding from the truth. The Rochester Red Wings center fielder collected his second base hit of the night on what came close to fitting the description of a bleeder — a bounding ball up the middle just past the outstretched glove of Lehigh Valley second baseman, Jorge Flores.
He smiled when asked about the seventh-inning single.
“I kinda got lucky tonight,” Granite said. “Ball up the middle, a little chopper.”
What do they say about luck being at the intersection of opportunity and preparation?
By the looks of it the 6-foot-1, 175-pound leadoff man has put in plenty on the preparation side of the ledger. The seventh-inning single gave Granite his 15th multi-hit night in the last 20 games – a stretch in which he has 39 base raps and came into the night batting .493 since June 2nd.
“Things are kinda clicking right now,” the Staten Island native commented. “Hopefully they stay the way they are because it’s a lot of fun.”
That positive approach is evident in his work at the plate which is nothing if it isn’t an effort in economy of motion. A short, compact swing with a quiet, quick stride has resulted in an IL-leading batting average of .352.
“Sometimes, mentally it’s a grind, so I try to keep things as simple as I can,” Granite explained. “The less I’m thinking; the better I’m playing. Right now I’m going up there saying let’s go. I’m making good contact. The ball is finding holes. I’m doing my job getting on base for the guys behind me. That’s my game. It’s a simple game if you stick to that.”
The approach has also resulted in 20 extra-base hits through 48 games (including five during a rehab stint with Fort Myers) and an OPS of .904 – up more than a hundred points from last season when Granite had 30 extra-base hits in 127 games with Chattanooga of the Double-A Southern League.
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“I am trying to drive the ball,” he explained. “It’s not like I’m going up there trying to slap it the other way. If they’re going to make a mistake, I got to make them pay for it. In hitter’s counts and things like that I’m trying to drive some stuff.”
If there is a downside to his production at the plate, the extra-base hits have resulted in fewer stolen bases of which he has 16 so far after compiling 56 thefts a year ago.
“It’s nice to get on base, but it’s a lot nicer to be on second or be on third or drive myself in. The extra bases is great because I don’t have to steal. It makes my job a little bit easier. I’m trying to get on base. If it goes in the gap or on a line or over the fence so be it.”
Granite led the bottom of the first with a single to reach base for the 21st straight game. He scored one batter later on a Mitch Garver home run to give the Wings a lead they never surrendered in 4-2 win over IL North-leading Lehigh Valley. The win was the the seventh straight for the home nine.
“Music’s going. Everything is going. We got a good team morale. One of my good friends just got called up, so we got some really good morale right now. Hopefully we can keep it going. Let’s try to make it eight tomorrow.”
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