SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts sought the very best of each worlds from his slumping Dodgers offense Sunday.
Extra aggressive at-bats, a extra disciplined two-strike method, and a renewed team-first mindset on the plate on the one hand.
But in addition, amid a two-month funk that dropped them to second place within the Nationwide League West, to not abandon the slugging prowess that makes them who they’re.
“I want my cake, and [to] eat it as well,” the Dodgers supervisor quipped.
“I’d be shocked,” he added, “if we don’t see a different offensive output from here forward, starting today.”
Certainly, all the things the Dodgers have been lacking of their first two video games in opposition to the San Diego Padres this weekend — once they mixed for simply two runs and 5 hits to relinquish their place atop the division standings — got here roaring abruptly again when the membership wanted it most.
In a sweep-evading 8-2 win over the Padres at Petco Park on Sunday, the Dodgers bought again to working higher at-bats, manufacturing constant baserunners, then pouncing on errors with their lineup’s trademark pop.
The largest swings got here in a five-run seventh inning, when Dalton Dashing broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run residence run to proper and Freddie Freeman hit his second lengthy ball of the day to place the rating out of attain.
However all alongside, they displayed the progress Roberts had promised in his pregame tackle with reporters; following up two of their worst offensive shows of the season, with a nine-hit, four-walk, eight -run outburst that drew them again right into a first-place tie with the Padres (74-57).
Freddie Freeman, proper, is congratulated by third base coach Dino Ebel after hitting a house run within the sixth inning Sunday.
(Derrick Tuskan / Related Press)
Of their losses on Friday and Saturday, the Dodgers’ issues had been easy. They didn’t modify to a Padres pitching workers that attacked them fastidiously. They didn’t grind with two strikes, or shorten up their swings, or do sufficient little issues to unlock their long-scuffling offense (which led the majors in scoring by means of June, however had ranked twenty fourth within the two months since).
“We haven’t really been in-sync,” Roberts mentioned. “It’s been disjointed a lot, as far as the offense.”
When requested if that meant his group wanted to undertake extra of a small-ball mentality, nonetheless, Roberts pushed again.
“I think it’s a fair question,” he mentioned. “But I couldn’t disagree more.”
In spite of everything, his group continues to be stocked filled with All-Stars, MVPs and future Corridor of Famers. At their core, they’re a group constructed to bludgeon opponents — not slap singles and drop down sacrifice bunts.
“Slugging is still a part of it,” he mentioned. “I definitely don’t want guys to hit like I did.”
Across the margins, although, there have been methods they might higher place themselves to try this. Resembling making an attempt to work higher counts, keep alive with two strikes when wanted, and hanging a greater stability between persistence and aggression.
“When you can kind of play, knowing you have people around you, where your goal is just to win — versus, my goal is just to be good myself individually, that’s pressure,” he mentioned. “But when you feel like [you are doing] whatever little thing I can do to help a team, an offensive unit, that’s freeing. So that was some of the conversations that I’ve had with the guys, trying to relay that message.”
The change began within the first inning, with the Dodgers placing Padres starter Nick Pivetta underneath instant stress.
Shohei Ohtani drew a five-pitch leadoff stroll. Mookie Betts shortened up his swing on an 0-and-2 slider to line a single up the center. Freddie Freeman loaded the bases by grinding out a full-count free go.
It was a string of small victories that offered cleanup hitter Teoscar Hernández the proper likelihood to slug.
Hernández tried to, getting a fastball over the plate in a 3-and-1 depend and launching a deep flyball that appeared destined to be a grand slam. The drive, nonetheless, hung up simply sufficient for Ramón Laureano to rob it on the wall.
The sacrifice fly introduced within the Dodgers’ solely run of the inning — giving them a 1-0 lead that might quickly be erased on Elias Díaz’s two-run homer within the third off Yoshinobu Yamamoto (the one runs he gave up in a six-inning begin).
Dodgers beginning pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers in opposition to the Padres within the first inning Sunday.
(Sean M. Haffey / Getty Pictures)
Nevertheless it set the tone for a flurry of offense that might observe later within the afternoon, when a weekend of non-existent offense lastly began to show.
Within the sixth, Freeman hit his first residence run, crushing one other center-cut fastball from Pivetta to right-center for a tying blast.
Then, in opposition to Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada within the seventh, the membership put all of the items collectively in a five-run rally.
Andy Pages rolled a single by means of the left aspect to guide off. Michael Conforto got here up subsequent, fouled off a full-count slider, then took a borderline fastball on the prime of the zone for a stress-inducing stroll.
Miguel Rojas couldn’t get a bunt down after that, ultimately swinging away for a flyout to heart.
However, in what was simply his finest second of a making an attempt rookie season, Dashing delivered the decisive blow seven pitches later — fouling off his personal two-strike slider earlier than clobbering one other to proper for a go-ahead three-run shot.
Freeman tacked on two extra insurance coverage runs earlier than the inning was by means of, touchdown his second lengthy ball of the day into the Petco Porch down the right-field line. Ohtani bought in on the motion within the ninth, belting his forty fifth homer to proper to place the sport — and one other weekend of offensive frustration — to mattress.
