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As the Dodgers head into their series finale against the Rays on a rare weekday afternoon game at Dodger Stadium, a look at a couple players having stellar months in July, in Yasmani Grandal and Pedro Baez.
Both came through in the seventh inning on Tuesday night.
With a two-run lead and two runners on with just one out in the top of the inning, Baez was brought in to clean up a mess, and he did just that. Facing a pair of left-handed pinch hitters, Baez got Oswaldo Arcia to pop out in the infield and induced a harmless ground ball to first from Logan Morrison to end the threat.
"Petey's really had a really nice year at this point. He's been a victim of the home run ball, whether it's leaving a fastball out over the plate of hanging a change. He's really come through, and I've put him in some big spots," manager Dave Roberts said. "He's a guy that I trust."
Opposing batters in July are just 1-for-37 (.027) with two walks and 12 strikeouts against Baez, who has a 0.00 ERA for the month. On the season, Baez has a 2.83 ERA with 54 strikeouts and 13 walks in 47⅔ innings.
In the bottom of the inning, Grandal smacked a Chris Archer pitch into the visitors' bullpen for his 14th home run of the season, and his seventh of July.
"I've been watching a lot of video on how they pitch to me when we were over there, and how he usually pitches," Grandal told Alanna Rizzo on the field after the game on SportsNet LA. "I told myself, 'Make sure if you swing on a fastball up, make sure you get to hit it.' In the at-bat before, he struck me out with the same pitch."
Grandal is one of only five Dodgers catchers to hit seven home runs in a month, and joins Hall of Famers Roy Campanella (11 times) and Mike Piazza (12 times) as the only ones to do it more than once.
During July, Grandal is hitting .309/.441/.691, fifth in the majors this month in OPS for those with at least 50 plate appearances.
After a slow start coming off shoulder surgery, Grandal is up to .211/.330/.430 on the season with a .330 wOBA, and his 108 wRC+ ranks seventh among catchers with at least 150 plate appearances.
Game info
Time: 12:10 p.m. PT
TV: SportsNet LA