Bulls' Leonard collects career-high five hits

Patrick Leonard was perfect at the plate Thursday. He did fall 0-for-2 on chances to complete a cycle, though.
The Tampa Bay infield prospect smacked a career-high five hits -- falling a triple shy of a cycle -- scoring four runs and driving in two as Triple-A Durham thumped Syracuse, 13-3, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Leonard led off the second inning with a home run to left field, his second of the season. He followed by doubling to left in the third and singling to right in the fifth. The Bulls third baseman realized almost immediately that the cycle was within reach.
"I had a single after my third at-bat and some guys in the dugout were talking about it," Leonard said. "I wasn't up there trying to hit a triple or anything. If it would have happened, it would have happened, but I wasn't up there thinking, 'I need to hit a triple right here.'"
Box score
The 24-year-old's teammates encouraged him to go for it.
"They were like, 'No matter where you hit it, you got to keep running,'" he said with a laugh.

Instead, Leonard grounded a single up the middle in the seventh and lined another single to left in the eighth. Although he didn't know it at the time, the Florida native's quest for a triple to complete a cycle was denied for the second time in less than a year. On June 9 with Double-A Montgomery, Leonard finished with four hits against Biloxi. 
"It was going through my head during the game, 'I wonder if I've ever been this close,'" Leonard said. "That didn't even come to mind, but I very specifically remember that now."
The 2011 fifth-round pick of the Royals still managed his first five-hit game as a pro, giving him at least three hits in four games this season. After compiling a .258/.323/.400 slash line in 116 games last season between Montgomery and Durham, he sports a .413/.470/.573 line this year.

"I'm trying to just put the ball in play," Leonard said. "I know throughout my career I've been striking out a lot over the season, so I've been going up there thinking, 'You're never going to get a hit if you don't put the ball in play.' I've really focused on with two strikes, trying to spread them out a little bit and shortening up to try and put the ball in play. I started it in Spring Training and it's been going well so far. I have to thank my hitting coach, Ozzie Timmons, for that one."
The elusive cycle remains on his radar.
"If it comes up again, I can't promise anything, but maybe the third time is the charm," Leonard said.

Tampa Bay's No. 5 prospectCasey Gillaspie had two hits, including his second homer of the season, for Durham. No. 4 Jake Bauers added a double, a single and two RBIs while Curt Casali plated three with a pair of singles.
Justin Marks (4-1) pitched three scoreless frames, allowing two hits and a walk in relief of starter Jeff Ames, who gave up a run on two hits and two walks over the first two innings.
Taylor Hill (1-2) was roughed up for seven runs on 13 hits and fanned five over 5 2/3 frames for the Chiefs.