Thomas puts his foot down, gets back on track for Nuts

When Modesto Nuts left fielder Dillon Thomas doubled with two outs in the fourth inning to drive in what proved to be the winning run in Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Lake Elsinore, he was in fourth gear by the time he left the batter’s box.

Three innings later, when he grounded out to shortstop, he ran just as fast.

“That’s just the way I was raised to play the game,” said Thomas, a native of Houston. “My dad was always one of my coaches growing up, and he always said, ‘The one thing you can control is how hard you play the game.’ Hustle … it’s just something I’ve always done.”

Even earlier this season, when the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Thomas was battling to stay above the Mendoza line, he always hustled down the first-base line.

“Dillon has a lot of athletic ability and is very strong,” Nuts manager Fred Ocasio said. “And he always plays the game hard.”

That’s not easy when things aren’t going your way.

“I just really relied on my faith in God and faith in myself,” Thomas said. “Every day is a new day, and I know that God has a plan for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t good enough.”

Working with Nuts batting coach Drew Saylor, they’ve added a toe-tap to the setup to his swing.

“Earlier in the year, I was struggling to find my rhythm,” said Thomas, batting .256 with six home runs and 41 RBIs. “The toe-tap helps me compete on every pitch.”

When the pitcher begins his windup, the left-handed Thomas lifts his right foot and gently taps his toes on the ground, keeping him on time and balanced.

It seems to be working. After going hitless in his first two at-bats June 4, Thomas’ batting average dipped to .199 (31 for 154). Since then, he’s hit .340 (37 for 109) with a .385 on-base percentage and a .509 slugging percentage.

Tuesday, Nuts right-hander Konner Wade gave up a run in the first inning, thanks largely to one of three errors committed behind him, but was solid for the remainder of his start.

Wade (5-6, 4.37 ERA) worked 62/3 innings, giving up five hits – one an infield single – and an unearned run. He struck out four and walked two, including the game’s first batter, Auston Bousfield, after a 10-pitch duel.

Wade appeared to have made up for the walk when he induced a tailor-made double-play ball from Fernando Perez. However, shortstop Emerson Jimenez dropped the flip from second baseman Wilson Soriano, and both runners were safe.

Nick Schulz then grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, but Bousfield advanced to third. He scored on a single by Nick Torres.

After that, Wade took control.

“He settled in after the first, and his ball was sinking real good,” Ocasio said. “He didn’t let the errors affect him. In this game, there’s a lot of woulda-shoulda, and you’ve got to pitch through stuff like that.”

The Nuts tied the score in the third when first baseman Ashley Graeter led off with a double to left, moved to third on a groundout and scored on Jimenez’s infield single to the right side.

Modesto went ahead an inning later. Rosell Herrera led off with a double, then scored on Thomas’ two-out double to left-center.

The Nuts begin a four-game series Thursday at first-half North Division champ Visalia.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 12:04 AM with the headline "Thomas puts his foot down, gets back on track for Nuts."