STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Starling Marte hit two home runs last night. They weren't enough to stave off the free fall that the Pirates are seemingly embarking on, but they may have been enough to open the eyes of many who have not yet noticed just how hot he's been.
On May 22, Marte's triple-slash line stood at an anemic .238/.265/.388. In the 17 games before last night, he posted a .386/.449/.586 line, and pushed his overall line up to .289/.329/.477. Yes, that's nearly a hundred point improvement in slugging, and his overall boost has been fueled in part by his refusal to strike out.
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