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The last two games have seen a pair of Dodgers eliminate long home run droughts. James Loney went 67 games and 198 plate appearances without a homer until hitting one in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Andre Ethier went 30 games and 129 plate appearances before his blast on Friday night in Atlanta.
Who is next on the totem pole? Here are the longest current home run droughts on the Dodgers.
| Dodgers Longest Active Home Run Droughts | |||
| Player | Games | PA | Last HR |
| Dee Gordon* | 55 | 233 | May 1 |
| Jerry Hairston Jr.* | 22 | 78 | July 7 |
| Luis Cruz | 20 | 75 | July 23 |
| Matt Treanor | 20 | 71 | May 27 |
| Mark Ellis | 14 | 60 | July 31 |
| A.J. Ellis | 11 | 40 | August 3 |
| Matt Kemp | 8 | 39 | August 8 |
| Adam Kennedy | 14 | 37 | July 6 |
| *On disabled list | |||
Straight Platoon
With Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino helping to stabilize the lineup, manager Don Mattingly has gone to a straight platoon at first base. Friday was the 16th straight game that Mattingly has started a first baseman who from the opposite side of the pitcher, dating back to July 31.
Not that it has really worked. Loney and Juan Rivera have each homered on this road trip, but have combined to hit just .183/.213/.282 in the last 16 games.
Mattingly has done his best to maximize the platoon advantage, as Loney and Rivera have had 57 plate appearances with the platoon advantage during that span, compared to just 18 against same-handed pitchers. But the problem is that the two have not taken advantage against pitchers of the opposite hand, hitting just .222/.246/.352 in the last 16 games.
In the 18 plate appearances against same-handed pitchers, they are 1-for-17 with a hit-by-pitch.
Game Time: 4:10 p.m.
TV: Prime Ticket, MLB Network