Dave Roberts wasn’t fairly able to bench struggling second baseman Gavin Lux in favor of Kiké Hernández, however Lux was starting to check the persistence of the Dodgers supervisor as his hunch prolonged into a 3rd week and the playoffs drew close to.
Lux was one among baseball’s greatest hitters for seven weeks after the All-Star break, batting .347 with a 1.043 on-base-plus-slugging share, seven homers, 14 doubles and 21 RBIs in 40 video games from July 20 to Sept. 4. However that bat went right into a deep freeze this month, the left-handed-hitting Lux hitting .111 (4 for 36) with a .378 OPS, no extra-base hits and three RBIs in 16 video games from Sept. 6 by means of Tuesday night time.
With Hernández hitting .291 with an .855 OPS, 4 homers, three doubles and 10 RBIs in 22 video games since Aug. 23, did Roberts think about giving the right-handed-hitting Hernández extra begins towards right-handers?
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Gavin, but I think his body of work since he got going has been very good, and I’m going to give him every opportunity to start against right-handers in the postseason,” Roberts mentioned earlier than Wednesday night time’s recreation towards the San Diego Padres.
Gavin Lux emerged from a hunch with two hits on Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
“I think his mindset has been consistent, and it’s my job to continue to instill confidence. To have Kiké available in whatever spot is huge, but that’s not on my mind right now.”
Roberts’ religion in Lux was rewarded Wednesday night time when Lux lined a two-out, score-tying single to middle area within the fourth inning and singled within the eighth inning of a 4-3 victory over the Padres that pushed the Dodgers to the brink of their eleventh Nationwide League West title in 12 years.
“I’m trying to have a good mentality, that I want to be in that position, that I can get a big hit with two outs and not be afraid to [screw] it up,” Lux mentioned after the Dodgers pushed their division result in three video games with 4 video games to play. “You know, just wanting that opportunity and embracing it.
“It’s a playoff mentality. You have to do whatever you can to win and compete, kind of forget about how bad your mechanics feel and just go out and play baseball.”
The Dodgers trailed 2-1 within the fourth inning when Tommy Edman lined a two-out double to right-center area. Lux took two balls earlier than lacing a 95-mph fastball from Dylan Stop into middle area to attain Edman for a 2-2 tie. Shohei Ohtani capped the rally with a double to proper for a 3-2 lead.
“He made me look good tonight,” Roberts mentioned of Lux. “I trust him. I trust all of our guys. Tommy has been scuffling, and he came up with a big hit, and Gavin really came up big for us tonight.”
Lux missed all of final season after tearing two ligaments in his proper knee in a freak spring-training baserunning mishap, and he acknowledged that he babied the surgically repaired knee in his return this season. The end result was a swing that was extra tentative and produced extra comfortable contact, which led to a .213 common, .563 OPS, three dwelling runs, eight doubles and 24 RBIs in 78 video games earlier than the All-Star break.
Lux adjusted his mindset and strategy within the week earlier than the break — ”I don’t suppose it’s a swing change, I’m simply attempting to be extra aggressive, and once I get an honest pitch to hit, put an excellent swing on it,” he mentioned — and the outcomes have been nearly fast.
Lux gained NL participant of the week to begin the second half and continued to tear up the league till early September, when he went right into a deep funk.
“There’s a little passivity at times with breaking balls early, there’s more swing and miss, and probably a little bit more chase,” Roberts mentioned. “I’d like to think there isn’t a loss of confidence.”
Lux didn’t suppose his attacking mentality wavered, however opposing pitchers started attacking him in a different way.
“I’m getting a lot of backdoor spin, tons of changeups and splits,” Lux mentioned. “It’s that cat-and-mouse game where you take one thing away, then they go to what you’re not hitting. I was probably too slow to adjust and got caught in-between. But I think I’m moving in the right direction and figuring out a game plan and an approach that works.”
Gavin Lux disagrees with umpire Andy Fletcher on a strike name Wednesday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Occasions)
Lux, a .203 hitter with a .555 OPS in 279 profession plate appearances towards left-handers, has had a very robust time towards them this season, batting .156 with a .402 OPS in 49 plate appearances, struggles that decreased him to a platoon position with Hernández and Chris Taylor.
“Any baseball player would tell you that the more you’re out there, you get into a good, consistent rhythm, you get to feel things out a little more,” Lux mentioned. “But at the end of the day, I can’t make any excuses. I have to be better against left-handers if I want to be in there every day.”
The Dodgers have been in a dogfight with San Diego and Arizona for the division all summer season, so Roberts hasn’t had the posh of giving Lux an extended leash towards left-handers.
“It’s hard for a hitter when you’re not getting those looks, but I feel that, quite frankly, we’ve had better options [against left-handers],” Roberts mentioned. “I do believe Gavin is going to hit left-handed pitching, and going forward, he’s going to be an everyday player. But I think that his splits this year, that’s more on me, given his lack of opportunities.”
