Santana continues surge with 3-run homer

PHILADELPHIA -- Carlos Santana's fortunes are changing in a major way.
Santana ripped a three-run home run to left field in the fourth inning of Thursday afternoon's 6-3 Phillies victory over the Giants at Citizens Bank Park. His fourth home run in his last seven games handed the Phillies a one-run lead and helped lift them to a four-game sweep, their first over the Giants since 1982. Santana is hitting .289 (11-for-38) with four doubles, one triple, four home runs, 15 RBIs and a 1.088 OPS in nine games this month after hitting just .153 with two homers, 11 RBIs and a .571 OPS in 28 games through April.
"This is not my first time in my first month struggling," Santana said. "I'll be good, I'll be fine. I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about the present and right now everything is positive."
It had not always been that way. Santana hit into some bad luck the first month of the season. Entering Thursday, Santana's 82-point gap between his expected batting average (.271) and batting average (.189) ranked sixth widest in baseball (min. 40 at-bats). He ranked second in baseball with 33 hard-hit outs, behind only the Mariners' Robinson Canó.
Santana had hit .304 on hard-hit balls this season. The MLB average on hard-hit balls (exit velocity 95 mph or harder) is .517. Santana hit .480 on hard-hit balls in 2015, .527 in '16 and .500 in '17.

Santana also made a fantastic diving play to end the seventh inning, robbing pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson of a hit. Santana slid into the bag to beat Tomlinson. He jammed his left knee, but he said he is fine.