Slim Pickings

Fastballs that sail two inches from the outside corner don’t look so unappealing anymore. Chin-high hanging curves are just fine.

Lucas Duda of Riverside Arlington no longer restricts himself to the strike zone. With so few desirable pitches to hit lately, he has been expanding his boundaries.

The result has been an escalating cat-and-mouse game between Duda and opposing pitchers -- one that has taken its toll on his offensive production but has done nothing to alter his potential.

Duda, a power-hitting first baseman who signed with USC in November, has not hit a home run and has only four runs batted in since April 2. During that 14-game span, he has accumulated 21 of his 34 walks this season.

“A lot of balls are out of the zone,” said Duda, a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder who bats from the left side and throws from the right. “They’re getting me to chase stuff.”

Word has already made its way to Yucaipa Coach Jeff Stout, who is preparing his Thunderbirds for a Southern Section Division I first-round game Friday against visiting Arlington.

Stout, who has watched his offense produce 32 home runs and 245 runs, doesn’t plan to avoid Duda every time he steps in the batter’s box, but he’ll closely evaluate each situation.

“He’s pretty imposing with that big stick right in the middle of the lineup,” Stout said.

Duda drew a team-high 28 walks in 30 games last season, when the Lions reached the Division I semifinals, but it was mainly his keen eye and a more intimidating surrounding cast that kept him patient.

“I was just trying to set the table for the big guys last year,” he said.

Duda was followed in that batting order by pitcher-third baseman Zech Zinicola and catcher Andy Bouchie.

Zinicola, now at Arizona State, hit .438 with five home runs and 32 runs batted in, and Bouchie hit .408 with five homers and 38 RBIs.

Among the regulars this season, only two are hitting better than .306. The team has a batting average of .278, more than 100 points less than last year.

Coach Gary Rungo, in his 22nd season at Arlington, said even with Duda in the lineup, it’s one of the weaker hitting teams he has coached.

“We’re such a poor hitting team,” Rungo said. “It’s easy to avoid [Duda] and go get everyone else.”

Sometimes, teams automatically send Duda to first base -- four thrown balls are not required for an intentional walk in high school -- but often pitchers try to lure him into taking bad swings by throwing balls just out of the strike zone.

The strategy seems to be working. Duda’s batting average has dropped from a team-high .481 a year ago to .349.

He also led the Lions with nine home runs last season, but has been stuck on three for nearly seven weeks. His run production numbers have fallen just as dramatically, and even his strikeout total is three more than last season.

“I’ve seen some at-bats where he has been frustrated,” said Riverside Poly Coach Aaron Moore, whose team won the Ivy League title this season. “He wants some good pitches to hit, but you know who their best hitter is. It’s just part of the game.”

Rungo said Duda has seemed desperate at times to provide more for his team than just another slow trot to first base.

“There’s really a lot of pressure on him,” Rungo said. “It’s so hard to remain patient. When you do finally get something to hit, you can also be slow to pull the trigger and get into bad habits.”

Rungo knows he’ll need his entire team to play its best against Yucaipa (20-8), which finished runner-up in the San Andreas League after losing its last game of the regular season to San Bernardino Cajon.

Arlington (16-10) is entering the playoffs on a down note, having lost three in a row.

“Either we’re going to fold like a cheap tent or we’re going to come out hungry,” Rungo said.