'Weird, right?': Cincinnati Reds' Jesse Winker feels he's hitting better than numbers show

PHILADELPHIA – Jesse Winker tries to avoid looking at his batting average on the scoreboard, but he knows it’s lower than usual. He doesn't want to frustrate himself.

The weird part about it is he feels like he’s had a lot of good at-bats. He’s making hard contact. He's shown more power this season than any time in the last few years. But his numbers are well below what he produced during his rookie season.

Winker entered Friday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies with a .238 batting average and .759 on-base plus slugging percentage in 55 games. He hit .299 last year with a .836 OPS. His on-base percentage ranked fourth in the majors last year before his season ended when he…