Hitting Home Runs, Home Runs All the Time
It should come as no surprise that the top home run team in the National League would wallop five in one game. Still, it was a shock when it happened. After all, the Dodgers haven't been much of a home run hitting team in recent history.
Did you know that the last time this team hit more home runs than the league average was in 2004? Yeah, neither did I. I had to click past way to many annual statistics at Baseball Reference to find that out.
Now, we're an offensive juggernaut, and I still find myself a bit uncomfortable with that.
Don't get me wrong, though. I'm extremely happy with this change. Via Mark Saxon at ESPN:
“Obviously, I’m not going to complain about home runs,” manager Don Mattingly said.I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Scott Scheber is featuring in the photo above hitting his 2nd inning home run to tie the game. The pic is via Jon SooHoo/LA Dodgers 2015. Go here to check out more fantastic photos from yesterday's game by Jon. Below are some links to check out:
- Kiké Hernandez now has an official website. Check it out here: kikehndez.com.
- Via Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider, "Damon Berryhill named PCL Manager of the Year."
- Uh-Oh. Via JP Hoornstra at the Daily News, "Dodgers’ Yasiel Puig, Kiké Hernandez may be out until playoffs." For now, we may be able to hold on, but if they aren't available come playoff time then we could be in trouble. We're better with those bats than without.
“Howie (Kendrick) took a month,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “How much time do we have left? We’ve got about a month, and Yas has been out (a week). If it is a month, we’re right pretty much at the end of the year. Kiké’s a little farther behind that. The timetable tells you you’re going to be close.”
- We have slightly better news on the Howie Kendrick front. Via AJ Cassavell at MLB.com, "Kendrick should be back before season's end."
"Unless something were to happen to him, he's going to be back within ...," Mattingly started, before cutting himself off sharply.
"I'm not even going to say, because I don't want to jinx it," Mattingly continued. "But Howie's going to be back."
- Jon Weisman at Dodger Insider informs us that Dodger baserunning has gotten better: "Homer-happy Dodgers on a basestealing roll." He shares a nice graphic showing the teams improvement.
Though still not exactly a team of Rickey Hendersons, the Dodgers have turned things around as basestealers. The team that began the season 14 for 35 on stolen-base attempts through July 1 has gone 30 for 37 since — including 13 for 13 in its past seven games.
Eric Stephen at True Blue LA adds more:
"We've been a little bit better recently. Sometimes it's who you're playing that night, and that pitcher, if he gives you a chance to steal," manager Don Mattingly said on Tuesday. "It's really down to the mathematics - it takes so long to get to home plate, it takes so long to get to second, so if you get a decent jump you have a shot."
- Check out this interesting podcast from LA Meekly that is all about the history of Baseball in Los Angeles before the Dodgers came to town. They also talk about the battle for Chavez Razine.
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