(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

By Greg Dillard

The 2011 season had been a forgettable one for Aaron Hill.

He was hitting just .225 with six homers and a .270 OBP for the Blue Jays. Then things changed dramatically on August 23^, when Hill and fellow Toronto infielder John McDonald were shipped to Arizona in exchange for Kelly Johnson.

Hill was immediately thrust into a National League West pennant race. Since joining the D-backs, the second baseman has certainly done his part both at the plate and in the field. He’s hit a red-hot .375 with nine RBI and a solid .589 slugging percentage for the D-backs.

Hill batted .400 with 10 hits, five of which were doubles during the team’s recent six-game road trip.

D-backs Insider caught up with Hill prior to the start of a four-game series against the San Diego Padres at Chase Field.

DI: First of all, is it good to be back at Chase Field after a long, cold trip?

AH: Yeah, it is. We had a good road trip. I think guys were satisfied with the way we played. We had some big games. So it’s always fun to be back home. I know we’ve got some big crowds ahead of us the next few days. It’s a short trip back, but like I said it’s always good to be back home. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do, and seeing if we can add to our lead.

DI: I know you were excited to join a team in a pennant race. Now that you’ve gotten to experience that for the past couple of weeks, what’s this been like for you?

AH: It’s been nothing short of a blast. This has just been so much fun being a part of and seeing what a team is that is in a pennant race. I’m seeing how they go about their business, what they do on a day to day basis, and it’s been a blast. It’s true baseball. It’s fun to see and fun to be a part of. It’s going to be fun to see it through to the end.

DI: How’s the transition to the National League been?

AH: Baseball is baseball. I don’t want to put anything on the AL or NL or what’s better, this or that. It’s just baseball is baseball, and bottom line you have your own work routine. You know what you’ve got to do to get ready for a ballgame. You’ve just got to believe it. That’s it. You’ve got to believe in hard work and that it’s going to pay off in the end.

DI: You’re swinging a very hot bat lately, what’s been behind that?

AH: We’ve been trying to perfect the swing in the cage. You feel comfortable there and then let things happen on the field. I think it’s a big difference when you’re out there. Everybody in here has the ability. When you’re out there trying to do things, you might dig yourself into a hole. When you’re trying to dig yourself out of a hole, you’re just going to dig yourself in even further. So I think what’s fun about these guys here, you never see any panic and everyone plays hard and has fun. It’s refreshing to see. It’s been a blast to be a part of, like I said. I think I’m going to be saying that for a while, because I’ve had a smile on my face since I’ve gotten here.

Heres’ a look at what Hill has done in a D-backs uniform.

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