Chisholm looks like perfect fit atop lineup

The number reads 83 on the McCovey Cove splash hits sign. Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. tried his best to update it -- though only a Giants player gets that honor.

Chisholm continued his torrid start by knocking the first leadoff shot of his career, but like the distance on his homer, the Marlins fell short in a 5-3 loss to the Giants on Friday night at Oracle Park. Miami has dropped the first two of its 10-game trip.

During batting practice, Chisholm's teammates teased him about not being able to reach the body of water behind the right-center-field wall that former slugger Barry Bonds frequently sent baseballs into. Hours later, Chisholm turned on southpaw Alex Wood's 2-0, 90.4 mph sinker down the middle of the plate and sent it deep to right-center. The ball traveled a projected 427 feet, with a game-high exit velocity of 110.5 mph to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

"I was really going for the Cove, and I didn't get it in the Cove, because there are still 83 splashes, not 84," said Chisholm, who noted his toe tap is a tribute to Bonds. "But they're still clowning me and telling me I don't have enough pop to get it out there, but it's OK."

That’s because Chisholm is producing no matter where he is in the lineup. Until Wednesday, he had been batting sixth or seventh. Since then, the 23-year-old has gone 4-for-12 as the leadoff batter, recording a hit his first time up in each of the three games. Chisholm has been setting the tone since the first day of Grapefruit League play on Feb. 28, when he went deep.

Even Chisholm’s outs could've been hits: His third-inning liner had an expected batting average of .780, while his sixth-inning liner that found Wood's glove had an xBA of .560 and an exit velocity of 101.3 mph.

"The line-drive catch, I was like, 'Oh my goodness, I can't believe you just caught this ball. Like you just took that hit away,'” Chisholm said. “Never seen a pitcher take away a hit from me, so I was just really upset. I was like, 'Why? Why? Like why are you here? Like get out of the way after you throw the ball.'"

Added Wood: "I snagged that thing, 100 percent. He hit it hard enough, and it was close enough to my body to where I could react. Jazz is a great player, man. Really, really good player. It’s been fun to watch him in these two series. He’s got a bright future, for sure."

Entering Friday, Chisholm was in the 98th percentile for barrel rate (24.2%) and 93rd percentile in sprint speed (28.5 ft/sec). That enticing blend of power and speed fits perfectly atop the order. Manager Don Mattingly acknowledged he hesitated to put Chisholm there early on because he feared he might change his game, something veteran shortstop Miguel Rojas also cautioned the rookie about.

Instead, Chisholm has found a groove, pacing all Major League second basemen in OPS (1.045) through 17 games this season. Over the last 11, he is hitting .378 (14-for-37) with two doubles, two stolen bases, four homers, five walks, six RBIs and seven runs.

"His at-bats have been good," Mattingly said. "That's more than leading off a game with a hit, it's more of a quality at-bat. He's been having them all year. He was having them back in the six hole, and he's having them now. There's no reason to think that's not going to continue at this point. He's swinging the bat good, so we'll leave him there for a little bit."

With Starling Marte, Brian Anderson and Jorge Alfaro on the injured list, Miami's lineup will rely on Chisholm even more. His homer was the only hit until Jon Berti's leadoff infield single in the eighth.

Middle-of-the-order bats Jesús Aguilar, Garrett Cooper and Adam Duvall are all scuffling at the same time, though Aguilar looks to be turning the corner with a hard lineout in the first and a two-run homer in the ninth. Since last Sunday's 1-0 loss to the Giants at loanDepot park, Aguilar, Cooper and Duvall are a combined 4-for-42 with two extra-base hits, eight RBIs, three walks and 14 strikeouts.

"I think Agui's been a little bit off," Mattingly said. "You see him coming. He drives in a couple of runs the other day. He was working on some things today, and I think we've seen some decent results with the lineout, then the homer. But he was part of that crew chasing them down a little bit today. Duvy seems to be just a tick off, too. Coop, again, I think the [groin] injury, he really hasn't found a rhythm, it doesn't seem like other than a day here or a day there."