Isn't a triple supposed to be at least somewhat uncommon in baseball?
The Chattanooga Lookouts continue to make three-base hits a daily deal, adding two Tuesday night in a 4-1 dumping of Huntsville before an AT&T Field crowd of 4,789. The Lookouts have 11 triples in their first 12 games and are on pace to hit 128 a year after tallying 40 when Dee Gordon led the charge.
"It would be nice to hit 128 triples, but the main thing the kids are doing is hitting and hustling," Lookouts hittiing coach Franklin Stubbs said. "This is pretty much a triples ballpark in the gaps, and when you hit one in the gaps, you've got a chance to get one. The good thing is when they hit it, they're hustling pretty well."
Six of Chattanooga's nine hits were of the extra-base variety, which provided more than enough support for starting pitcher Michael Antonini. The 25-year-old lefty allowed four hits in six scoreless innings while striking out five.
Alfredo Silverio and Brian Cavazos-Galvez hit Chattanooga's triples, with Silverio collecting his fourth to take the Southern League lead. Brad Coon and Elian Herrera each has two in the early going for the Lookouts, who moved into a share of the North Division lead at 8-4.
Cavazos-Galvez joined the team Tuesday out of extended spring.
"I can already see the chemistry, and it's only my first day here," he said. "That stuff just flows through clubhouses when everyone gets along well and plays well."
The Lookouts jumped in front when Silverio's two-out single to right field in the first inning was followed by Scott Van Slyke's RBI double to center and Pedro Baez's RBI double to right. Chattanooga extended its lead to 4-0 with two out in the third when Silverio tripled to center and Van Slyke homered to right-center, which was just Chattanooga's fourth homer of the season.
"We've got guys who can hit home runs," Stubbs said. "We're going to hit home runs, but the main thing is just hitting it hard."
Baez followed Van Slyke with a double to left, as Chattanooga's first six hits occurred with two out.
The Lookouts announced before the game that catcher Dioner Navarro, who was an American League All-Star with Tampa Bay in 2008, would have his rehabilitation stint delayed. Navarro was scheduled to suit up for the Lookouts on Tuesday but had flight complications and was not scheduled to arrive until after the game was over.