Hanley slumping?

By the lofty standards Hanley Ramirez has set, you technically can say the Marlins’ All-Star is in a “slump.”

The National League’s leading hitter is hitless over his last eight at-bats, and his average dipped to .359, after standing at .366 after Friday night’s game.

Going two straight games without a hit is a rarity for Ramirez. The last time he went three straight games without a hit was from July 31-Aug. 4, but he was 0-for-6 in this stretch. Ramirez had two one at-bat games because he was resting a left knee contusion after he was hit by a pitch on Aug. 1.

The 0-for-8 rut is Ramirez’s longest hitless stretch since he was 0-for-12 on May 20-21. The Marlins had a double-header with Arizona on May 20, and he was 0-for-9 in those two games. On the next day, he was 1-for-5. But the 25-year-old was hitless through four at-bats before breaking the slide with a double in his final at-bat.

To show how consistent Ramirez has been, he didn’t go back-to-back games without a hit in June. And in the month of July, he had three total hitless games.

– Joe Frisaro