Uggla has hot week for Marlins

MILWAUKEE -- Dan Uggla is going to hate to see the current week end.

In a matter of six games, dating back to April 19 against Washington, the Marlins' second baseman is 12-for-24 (.500) and he's basically hit for the cycle during that stretch. Included in his hot streak are four doubles, a triple, a home run, four RBIs and five runs scored.

"I don't try to explain anything. I just kind of go with it," Uggla said. "I'm trying to battle and battle. When things are frustrating, and they aren't going your way, you try to hold on until the tables are turned, and they start to go your way."

Considering the slow start he got off to, his impressive week has resulted in his batting average rising from .167 on April 18 to .263 heading into Friday night at Milwaukee.

Uggla is a central figure in the improving Marlins offense.

The Marlins are one of the surprise teams in the league, and with their low payroll, many figure that this would be a lean year. To Uggla, he sees a lot of young players who are believing and coming into their own.

"Everybody [in baseball] kind of understands what we're about, and what we can do," Uggla said. "There's no secret that we can hit the ball. Pretty much what everybody did in their first year, they did the second year, if not a little bit better.

"It's not given to us in any way. It's just like when we look across the field, we know what each of those guys are capable of."

What the Marlins are finding out now is they are capable of winning in April. That's a change from the past two seasons, when they've struggled early.

One of the objectives of the team this April is to get off to a faster start, in hopes of hanging around in contention.

"The more games you win in April and in May, the better," Uggla said. "If you lose them, they're going to come back and haunt you in September. That's why it's important to put away games. If you're up on people, you bury them. For some reason, if you fall behind, try to make as much of a push as you can to make it a game in the eighth or ninth.

"The thing is for us to stay focused, and keep away from them having the big inning. That's killed us the past two years. We've just been playing good baseball since the start of the season. We've gotten some good starts out of our pitching, and we've scored some runs."