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Dodgers infielder Jake Peter gets a day off Sunday after hitting a home run in three straight games, looking to make an impression with his new team.
Peter was acquired from the White Sox in the three-team trade that saw the Dodgers get reliever Scott Alexander from the Royals. Peter, who turns 25 in April, is in camp as a non-roster invitee.
The left-handed batter hit .279/.344/.417 in 2017 between Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte. After hitting 11 home runs in his first three professional seasons Peter hit 13 home runs last year, a season that also saw him have an 18-game hitting streak and 28 straight games reaching base by hit or walk.
“I made a lot of adjustments last offseason to my swing. I tried to have a more aggressive approach, put in a leg kick, and made some mechanical changes to my swing,” Peter said. “When I was on that hot streak, everything just kind of started to click and I got my timing down.”
Starting lineups
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Giants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Dodgers | Pos | Giants |
| CF | Taylor | 2B | Panik (L) |
| 2B | Utey (L) | 1B | Belt (L) |
| 1B | Bellinger (L) | RF | McCutchen |
| RF | Puig | DH | Longoria |
| C | Grandal (S) | 3B | Sandoval (S) |
| LF | Pederson (L) | LF | Parker (L) |
| 3B | Forsythe | C | Hundley |
| DH | Barnes | CF | Duggar (L) |
| SS | Hernandez | SS | Tomlinson |
Peter homered on Thursday against Jeff Beliveau of the Indians, took Joakim Soria deep on Friday against the White Sox, then on Saturday homered off David Carpenter of the Diamondbacks.
So far this spring Peter has bounced between second and third base, but in recent years has also played some games in the outfield. Though not on the 40-man roster Peter could conceivably see time in the majors this season.
“I take pride in being a more versatile player. I was primarily at second coming out of college, but in these last couple years I have played every position except pitcher and catcher,” Peter said. “That’s definitely going to bode well for me moving forward.
“Obviously this is a very versatile organization with a lot of players who play all over. Hopefully that will help me out and I can continue to move forward.”
Sunday matchup
After nearly a week with a clubhouse depleted by a bacterial virus of some sort the Dodgers are nearly back at full strength on Sunday, fielding a lineup full of major league regulars against the Giants in Scottsdale.
Cody Bellinger starts at first base, Austin Barnes at designated hitter and Kiké Hernandez at shortstop in their first Cactus League games since Monday, and Chase Utley starts at second base in his first game since Tuesday. At third base, Logan Forsythe is seeing his first game action since Feb. 24.
Kenta Maeda starts on the mound for the Dodgers, against Jeff Samardzija for San Francisco.
Game info
Time: 12:05 p.m. PT
Location: Scottsdale Stadium
TV: SportsNet LA
Radio: KLAC 570
Streaming: MLBtv