PHOENIX -- Several months ago in Spring Training, D-backs manager Chip Hale said the club put a strong emphasis on striking out less and taking a better approach at the plate with two strikes.
But just past the season's halfway point, the strikeout totals have slowly been rising. That includes during the team's current rough stretch, when they have lost eight of their last 10 games.
Against Jose Fernandez and the Marlins on Wednesday, the D-backs struck out 16 times in a 5-3 loss. They struck out 16 more times in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Brewers, marking the first time they had whiffed that many times in a nine-inning victory since 2009.