After going hitless in a July 4 win over the Rockies, Atlanta Braves second baseman Dan Uggla had a dismal .173 batting average. He had more strikeouts (77) than hits (55) and had driven in just 29 runs in 86 games.
Not exactly the kind of year the Braves expected after giving the slugger a five-year, $62 million contract in the offseason.
But Uggla has been on fire ever since. He extended his hitting streak on Monday night to 29 games, which has helped raise his average to .220. Since July 5, he has batted .355 with 27 RBI and 12 home runs, three of which came during a three-game series against the Nationals last week.
Uggla has never hit for average — he’s a .258 career hitter — but his power numbers in the first half of the season were well below his norm. He has had at least 27 home runs and 88 RBI in each of his five major league seasons. After this hot streak, he’s close to that pace again.
