Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — The box scores for your Los Angeles Dodgers have been very interesting so far this season. There usually are a whole lot of zeroes, and one inning’s worth of offensive explosion. For what seems like the tenth time already this year, the Dodgers got their runs in bunches, this time riding a 7-run fourth inning to an easy 9-1 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. And though the offense was nice, perhaps the bigger story was the second straight lights-out pitching performance from Dodgers starter Andrew Heaney. Though it’s a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg scenario, it all added up to a series sweep and six-game winning streak.
Heaney looks amazing. Again.
Andrew Heaney was on cruise control all day long. His new slider, or slurve, or sweeper, or whatever you want to call it had the Reds hitters guessing wrong all day. For the second straight outing, Heaney was getting a lot of swing and miss, and a lot of weak contact.
Heaney threw 89 pitches over six innings, landing 56 of them for strikes. Though he walked three hitters, he fooled enough guys along the way to strike out eleven on the afternoon. It was a dominant performance, even better than his Dodger debut in Minnesota. I don’t know if there has ever been a case of somebody looking so horrible in Spring Training and then completely turning it around once the regular season began. After 10.1 innings of work, he now sits with a tidy ERA of 0.00 and 16 strikeouts. And perhaps even more impressive, his WHIP is a miniscule 0.68. Just wow. Keep it up, Andrew!
Lucky seven in the fourth
By the time Heaney exited the game, the W was well in hand, thanks to the Dodgers’ offense coming alive in a big way in the bottom of the fourth. The Boys in Blue sent eleven hitters to the plate in the inning, and pile up the runs without the benefit of a home run. Instead, it was just a steady, relentless attack. A hump-back single from Freddie Freeman. A walk to Trea Turner. A Max Muncy double to score two. A Justin Turner single and a Will Smith double for a third run. Yet another double from Chris Taylor to plate two more. A Gavin Lux walk and then a double steal. And finally, a two-run single from Freddie Freeman (remember him? he led off the ining). Whooboy!
Though it hardly mattered, the Dodgers tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth with the same strategy of just simply keeping the line moving. In the inning, Freddie Freeman got another RBI single, making him 4-for5 on the day with 3 RBI. His batting average is now .324 on the season. Yep, I think he’ll fit in just fine around here.
Now comes the real test: Atlanta
With the four-game sweep of the Reds, the Dodgers are now 7-2, sitting atop the NL West tied with the Giants. However, facing the Rockies, Twins, and Reds is pretty much the definition of a soft opening. Things get real on Monday, when the world champion Atlanta Braves come into town for a three-game set. With two franchise icons, Freddie Freeman and Kenley Jansen, swapping uniforms during Spring Training, there will be no shortage of storylines in this one. The games get underway at 7:10 pm Monday with Clayton Kershaw making his home debut. We’ll see what he’s got in mind for a follow-up of his spectacular showing in Minneapolis. Sounds like must-see TV to me.
Cans of Corn…
- Is it too soon to start the Andrew Heaney for All-Star campaign?
- Freddie Freeman contributed with the leather as well, turning a 3U-2 double play with help on the back end from Will Smith.
- Trea Turner went 0-for-4 to end his 27-game hitting streak, which dated back to last September. New one starts tomorrow, I guess.
- Alex Vesia and Justin Briul finished up for Heaney, and only gave up one run in three innings. Both looked pretty good.
- Over the six-game winning streak, the Dodgers’ starters have only allowed two earned runs. That’s pretty good, I’d say.
- The Dodgers went 8-for-15 with RISP. Also pretty good.
- Though he went 4-for-5, Freeman said in a post-game interview that he didn’t really feel “in sync” and just battled his way into four hits.
- The Dodgers made their first roster move of the regular season today, calling up Phil Bickford, who will take Garrett Cleavinger’s spot in the pitching staff. Cleavinger optioned to AAA.
- The Braves come in with just an average start, entering play on Sunday night with a 5-5 record, behind the first-place Mets.
