The Dodgers started off the month of September losing two straight against the St. Louis Cardinals, but they’ve turned things around over their current homestand with a six-game winning streak.
Teoscar Hernández has been a key component to the Dodgers’ recent winning recipe, as the outfielder is now slashing .542/.633/.875 with a home run and 10 RBI while walking twice more than he’s struck out over his last seven games. His RBI single against Nick Lodolo in the bottom of the fifth inning on Tuesday was the deciding factor in a 3-2 Dodgers win over the Cincinnati Reds.
Hernández spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA about his turnaround at the plate following Tuesday’s win, noting that the whole team has been clicking offensively as of late.
“I think everybody is doing what everybody expected us to do at the right time. Everybody is having good at-bats. The pitchers are throwing really good games. Everything is clicking right now for us.”
Speaking of pitchers, Tarik Skubal was only able to strike out five hitters on Tuesday— the lowest amount in a start as a Dodger— but he managed to complete 7 1/3 innings on 94 pitches as he secured his second win with his new team.
Skubal has put up great numbers since donning the Dodger blue— 2-2, 2.93 ERA, 48 K, 10 BB, 43 IP— and there have been glimpses of the success he had in Detroit, but Dave Roberts knows that there is still more to be desired, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“We haven’t seen his best, and he’s still really performing,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game.
Will Smith made an impact in Tuesday’s win, starting the scoring in the first inning against Lodolo with a solo home run— his first since May 29.
Summer slumps have been a recurring theme for the Dodgers since last year, but Smith knows that the objective over the final 17 games is to end the season on a high note and catch up to the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed in the National League, per Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s the last stretch,” Smith said at the beginning of the month. “We’re fighting for seeding as well. So yeah, it’s definitely time to step on the gas.”
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