Third baseman Jamie D'Antona ranges into foul territory to field a grounder and nab Portland's Matt Antonelli at first base.

KELLY PRESNELL / arizona daily star

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While his teammates played cards, took naps and surfed the Internet before a recent game, Tucson Sidewinders outfielder Trent Oeltjen searched for the television remote control. He flipped the channel to the Olympics.

A silver medalist with the Australian baseball team at the 2004 Athens Games, Oeltjen remains an avid follower of the games.

An Olympic spectator this summer — the Australian squad failed to qualify — Oeltjen is trying to cap the Triple-A season with a torrid finish. He went 4 for 4 (all singles) in Monday's 4-0 victory over Portland for his second consecutive four-hit game and extended his hitting streak to nine games.

He also had four hits, two of them triples, and seven RBIs Sunday.

"Just getting more playing time and getting more consistent at-bats helped me relax and not try too hard," said Oeltjen, who has been Tucson's regular left fielder recently.

"Over time, when you get your chance to play every day, you don't put that extra pressure on yourself."

Oeltjen, a left-handed batter, is hitting .305, a marked improvement from his .238 average in 97 games last season with the Minnesota Twins' Triple-A affiliate. He hit .411 last month for Tucson after batting just .200 in May and .244 in June. His 10 triples rank second in the Pacific Coast League behind teammate Tim Raines Jr.

"He's worked very hard on the things that are necessary," hitting coach Joel Youngblood said. "He takes criticism very well. That's good, too."

In March, Oeltjen was a nonroster invitee to Arizona Diamondbacks spring training in March when the Australian team was selected for Olympic qualifying. These days, he mainly keeps tabs on swimming and track events taking place in Beijing.

"It's a big deal because Australia used to be (the powerhouse) until Michael Phelps came along," said Oeltjen, who is from Sydney.

"As a kid, you grow up watching the Olympics. It was special to get on the podium and get a silver medal in Athens."

● Josh Whitesell went 2 for 4 with his team-leading 24th home run, a two-run shot in the first inning. The franchise record is 30.

● With three two-out RBIs, Whitesell also became the third Sidewinder or Tucson Toro to reach 100 RBIs in a season; he has 101.

"I hope he finishes with 120 or so," manager Bill Plummer said. "First year in Triple-A, he's done very well."

● Arizona right fielder Justin Upton, who is on a rehab assignment with Tucson, will work out with the D-backs today before rejoining the Sidewinders on Wednesday to begin a nine-game road trip to Salt Lake and Colorado Springs. Upton went 1 for 4 with three strikeouts Monday. He is batting .360 in six games.

● Starting pitcher Matt Torra (4-4) threw seven scoreless innings, striking out six and walking one. It was his second scoreless outing with Tucson this season.

"He threw strikes (and) kept the ball down," Plummer said.

● Tucson (56-71) will try to win the four-game series against Portland (66-63) tonight in the final game.