Lopez rediscovering groove as season winds down

WASHINGTON -- Ending the season hot is just as important as starting the season strong: While one sets the tone for the season to come, the other sets the tone for the offseason and next year.

Otto Lopez is well on his way to ending 2024 with just as much heat as it began, back when he opened the season with Triple-A Jacksonville -- slashing .485/.528/.788 in just nine games before he was called up.

Lopez delivered his fourth multihit game in his past nine outings in the Marlins' 4-1 loss to the Nats on Saturday, showcasing his return to consistency. He went 2-for-3 with an RBI single, a stolen base and a walk.

“At the beginning, I started really well, thank God; we’ve had a lot of highs and lows,” Lopez said in Spanish. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, and my mentality is ending strong whenever I can.”

Lopez had plenty of ups and downs this season, including a cool period during the dog days (he slashed .132/.179/.170 in July). He also went homerless from May 14 to Sept. 6. Lopez wasn't struggling to make contact, though. He was hitting the ball hard, he just was getting unlucky.

“While he was going through his funk, he was still playing way above-average second base,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “He’s a really good baseball player. He’s running the bases well. He’s a good baseball player and I’m glad he got out of his funk.”

Lopez turned his focus to his preparation, and it's made all the difference in his success. Studying opposing pitchers to go into each plate appearance with as much information as possible is key to Lopez’s approach. As Lopez made adjustments and put an emphasis on his preparation, he became more consistent.

Lopez is batting .400 (14-for-35) over his past nine games and has hit safely in eight over that stretch. That home run drought ended on Sept. 7, when he teed off in a 9-5 win over the Phillies. On Friday night vs. Washington, he went yard again for his second homer in seven games.

“It’s a good sign for a young player to keep going, keep pushing forward and the hitting guys have been really good and consistent with him as well,” Schumaker said. “He deserves what’s going on right now in the last couple of weeks.”

“It’s a lot of confidence that I’ve built during these past few days,” Lopez said, “I’ve just tried to be as positive as I can and just go with the motion and the flow.”

Lopez's big night started in the second inning, after Jonah Bride hit a leadoff double into center field. Jesús Sánchez grounded out in the next at-bat, bringing Lopez up for his first at-bat. With an 0-1 count, Lopez connected with an 88.1 mph cutter from Nats starter Patrick Corbin, driving the ball into left field to bring Bride home -- the Marlins' lone run of the night. Lopez swiped second in the next at-bat, his 17th steal of the season.

Lopez walked in the fourth inning, after Corbin left all four of his offerings outside the strike zone, then attempted to swipe second -- but was caught stealing to end the frame.

“He’s just an aggressive hitter,” Corbin said. “You’re trying to locate right out of the chute and keep off balance. He had some good swings but this whole lineup here, some younger guys that maybe we haven’t faced as much as some other hitters, sometimes you don’t know what they’re going to do so try to execute from pitch one.”

Lopez didn't step to the plate again until the seventh inning, when he took advantage of a changeup middle-inside from Nats reliever Robert Garcia, lining the ball into left field for his 20th double of the year.

So far, Lopez has slashed .314/.352/.529 in the final month of the regular season, including those two homers, five doubles, nine RBIs, a stolen base and three walks.

With just over two weeks left, Lopez plans to continue with his current process, trusting himself to keep the hot streak going.

“I’m just trying to focus on my swing and going in with that mentality of not trying to do too much," Lopez said, "because sometimes when you try to do too much, that's when negativity can come out."