After battling through a dreadful slump for almost two months, Lucas Duda broke out in incredible fashion during yesterday’s game.
Duda crushed three home runs against Padres’ pitching, and he became only the 11th player in franchise history to accomplish this feat. He also joins Kirk Nieuwenhuis as the second player in team history to hit three home runs in a home game.
With a total of six home runs in his last four games, Duda has suddenly heated up.
“I think his swings are better,” manager Terry Collins said. “As I said last week, I still think at the end of the year, he’s going to put up very good numbers. Is it going to be 30 homers? I hope so.” (Peter Cappiello, Newsday).
While he may not match his home run total from last year, it’s great to see him finally back on track. Duda’s average is up to .241 on the season with 18 home runs and 45 RBI in 98 games.
He’s one of the few dangerous power threats in the lineup, so the team absolutely needs Duda to come through if they hope to catch the Nationals for the division lead.
