"First halves don't seem to be a strong suit for Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew, who for the second year in a row is off to a sluggish beginning to his season.

Drew is hitting just .243 in 222 at-bats, and his overall numbers more resemble his light-hitting 2007 season than his breakout '08.

It was around this time last season when Drew took off at the plate, but he doesn't view himself as a second-half player.

"I guess you can look at it and say that's the way it appears," he said. "I'd like for it not to, but that's the way it seems. I'll just keep pushing."

Just when it appears Drew has been ready to start a hot streak, he has a series such as the one this week in Cincinnati, when he went 0 for 12.

"He's shown flashes of it, but hasn't really caught that hot streak that we've seen before out of him," manager A.J. Hinch said. "(Pitchers are) climbing the ladder on him a little bit more. They're throwing some change-ups low and away. They're pitching him pretty tough. He's making adjustments, maybe not as quickly as he would like."

Drew said he isn't getting frustrated despite the lack of results.

"No, because I know it's there," he said. "It's just a matter of time until it gets going again.""