Trumbo seeing more balls fly over fences

Arizona Diamondbacks' Mark Trumbo and Giants' catcher Andrew Susac watch a high foul ball, as the DBacks play the San Francisco Giants at Chase Field in Phoenix, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2014. Trumbo struck out four times as the Giants defeated the D'Backs 4-2.(Photo: Charlie Leight/The Republic)

In some ways, there is not much different about this season for Mark Trumbo. Compared to his career averages, he is hitting about the same number of ground balls, fly balls and line drives. He is walking and striking out at normal rates.

By those measures, he has been the player he always was, despite how meager his raw production numbers have looked. There is, however, one statistic that had fallen off from previous years, one that might be starting to correct itself at the end of an otherwise disappointing season.

More of Trumbo's fly balls are finding their way over the outfield fences, evidenced by his second two-homer game in the past week on Saturday night in the Diamondbacks' 5-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Chase Field.

MORE: Trumbo powers D-Backs to win over Cardinals

Over the previous three years, Trumbo's percentage of fly balls that turned into home runs hovered close to 20 percent, according to Fan Graphs. This year, it was down to 12.5 percent entering Saturday.

It's hard to believe the drop has anything to do with a decline in Trumbo's power. He is only 28 and still capable of launching balls to the farthest reaches of any stadium. The stat could just be a bit of bad luck combined with an injury-shortened season in which he has run out of time for the numbers to correct themselves.

Trumbo launched a solo homer in the first inning, the second of back-to-back shots by the Diamondbacks. With the game tied at 2, he drilled a go-ahead three-run home run to help delay a champagne celebration by the playoff-bound Cardinals in the visitors' clubhouse.

The blasts give him six home runs in his past 10 games. Known for his power, hHis slugging percentage is still some 50 points below his career average entering the year, but he has recently resembled the player the Diamondbacks hoped they were acquiring when they landed him in a three-way deal that included the Los Angeles Angels.

"Trumbo, I know, has not maybe had the year (he's wanted)," interim manager Alan Trammell said. "He's missed a lot of time. But you see the signs of why we made the trade."

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Trumbo seeing more balls fly over fences