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There must be something in the Miami water. And the Marlins must not be drinking it.
The Dodgers are having an offensive explosion, outscoring the Marlins 24-2 through the first two games. But what’s more impressive is the contribution from Dodgers rookies. Will Smith, Matt Beaty, Kyle Garlick and Edwin Ríos are responsible for driving in nearly half of the Dodgers’ 24 runs in this series.
The four rookies contributed 11 RBIs thus far, compared to the 13 runs driven in by Max Muncy, Justin Turner, Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger.
The new guys are also the only ones who have multi-homer games in Miami. Smith, who only played on Tuesday, hit his eighth and ninth home runs of the season while Ríos hit the first two dingers of his MLB career.
First 2 career home runs ✅
— Cut4 (@Cut4) August 15, 2019
2 dugout silent treatments ✅ pic.twitter.com/E32HMAtvr2
It’s not the first time this year the rookies have carried their fair share of the load. Remember walk-off weekend against the Colorado Rockies? Matt Beaty, Alex Verdugo and Will Smith all hit walk-off home runs to complete a sweep against the division opponent.
2019 Dodgers rookies stats
Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
Verdugo, A | 106 | 343 | 43 | 101 | 22 | 2 | 12 | 44 | 26 | 49 | 0.294 | 0.342 | 0.475 | 0.817 |
Beaty, M | 61 | 164 | 25 | 48 | 15 | 1 | 6 | 35 | 9 | 23 | 0.293 | 0.329 | 0.506 | 0.836 |
Smith, W | 23 | 71 | 14 | 23 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 26 | 6 | 21 | 0.324 | 0.375 | 0.817 | 1.192 |
Garlick, K | 27 | 42 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 0.238 | 0.289 | 0.452 | 0.741 |
Rios, E | 14 | 26 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 0.346 | 0.485 | 0.731 | 1.216 |
The rookies (with the exception of Garlick) are hovering near a .300 batting average and boasting decent on base percentages. They are contributing when it’s most necessary, showing the Dodgers lineup is scary, no matter who is up to the plate.
While on the topic of contributing rookies, Dustin May is still not a confirmed starter for the Atlanta series this weekend.
#Dodgers Dave Roberts said it hasn't been decided if Dustin May will start Sunday in Atlanta. May threw a bullpen session today, could move into a relief role. Or not. Roberts not ready to say.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 15, 2019
May’s most recent outing was Tuesday against the Marlins, where he earned his first MLB win. He pitched 5 2⁄3 innings and only allowed one run from three hits and a walk. He now has a 2.45 ERA in three starts. Whether he’s on the mound or in the bullpen, he’ll continue to show his command of the baseball with his two-seam fastball and cutter.