PEORIA, Ariz. -- Joc Pederson provided all the offense in the Dodgers' 1-0 victory over the Padres on Thursday night in Peoria, hitting a ninth inning home run to break a scoreless tie.
On a night with an exciting atmosphere that started with Hyun-jin Ryu and Matt Kemp, and ended with Will Ferrell completing his five-stadium Cactus League tour, Pederson was the show in the ninth, obliterating a pitch from Jose Valverde well over the head of Ferrell in right field.
That @yungjoc650’s so hot right now. #FerrellTakesTheField pic.twitter.com/rlLzgnqMiR
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 13, 2015
Pederson snapped an 0-for-9 skid with the home run, going 1-for-3 on the night as designated hitter.
Before the game manager Don Mattingly was talking about Pederson and what he wanted him to improve upon after last season. The subject of Pederson's swing came up, and Mattingly again compared it to that of Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.
"His swing stays on path, stays in the strike zone. He swings hard. He's got movement in his swing, it's more of a weight-shift swing. Like CarGo," Mattingly explained. "It's that big, flowing swing. They catch balls on the move and they go a mile."
After the game, Mattingly was even more succinct.
"That's easy power," Mattingly said. "That's the CarGo swing. He clicks 'em, and they go."
Up next
The Dodgers follow up Thursday with another night game Friday, heading back to Camelback Ranch to face the Reds. Brandon McCarthy starts for the Dodgers, against Jason Marquis for Cincinnati.