Arizona Diamondbacks: Justin Upton Finds His Groove

Following a stunning, 15-1 loss at the hands of the Oakland Athletics, Arizona has now won two games in a row after a 2-1 victory Thursday night.

During this six-game homestand, 20-year-old Justin Upton was 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts. Needless to say, Diamondbacks fans and players alike were euphoric when he went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.

After a hot start to his first major league season, Upton found himself with a .344 batting average. Since then, however, Upton endured a 13-for-103 streak that left many wondering if he wasn't yet ready for the Bigs.

After an off-night Wednesday, Upton may have found his groove.

"It has been pretty tough," Upton said of the recent slump to the Associated Press. "In the end it's a game where you're going to fail a lot and that's something you have to live with, but to play the way I've been playing, hopefully this turns things around."

There is plenty of wisdom coming from that 20-year-old mind.

I'm sure Upton was pleasantly surprised to see his name in the two-hole Thursday night in the rubber match of this interleague series with the A's.

Aiming to please both management and fans, Upton provided his team with 40 percent of its offense.

Not only did the young outfielder hit a double and draw a walk against the tough Oakland pitching, but he also nailed a dinger over the right-center wall.

That eighth-inning shot proved to be the winner as it landed in the right-field jacuzzi. Is he trying to tell us something?

Before the game Oakland manager Bob Geren joked that, after two nights of offensive outbursts, this Thursday night game will "probably be 2-1."

Despite his accurate prediction, his team was on the wrong side of the spectrum.

Games like tonight will not be enough to pull away from the Dodgers. Arizona needs to continue to pitch well and find its bats again.

While not too much should be made of a 2-for-3 showing, here's hoping that Upton continues on the good note he started Thursday night.