After benefitting from a change to his batting stance that incorporated taking a small step backward as a pitch is being thrown, Max Muncy went into another slump over the past two weeks.
He entered play Tuesday with a modest three-game winning streak, but that didn’t include any multi-hit efforts. Muncy changed that in emphatic fashion as he hit a double and two home runs in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants.
The swing in production stemmed from more changes Muncy made with Dodgers hitting coaches.
“I made a couple mechanical adjustments right before the game,” he said after the win. “I was trying to feel for something, and I was able to spot it on some film. It was able to keep me quieter in the box and get to the top of the baseball. I was missing undernearth a lot again, so just trying to make that adjustment.”
Muncy equated the new mechanics to being similar to previous work that unlocked his swing.
“It’s just one of those things where what I had been doing finally felt comfortable and because it felt comfortable, I felt like I needed to feel it again,” he said. “I was just making too big of a move, so I had to quiet it down again. And it just allowed me to stay quiet in the box again.”
Beyond actual results, Muncy was particularly encouraged by the flight of the balls on his two homers. “To me, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “You know, home runs are obviously amazing and I’m happy I hit them, but just seeing the ball fly at that path was better.”
Dave Roberts ‘really happy’ for Max Muncy
Even as Muncy was scuffling at the plate through the first half of the season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remained confident in the former All-Star. Roberts’ faith has been rewarded, but he’s most pleased to see Muncy back on track.
“He’s just taking really consistent at-bats. And tonight to see him hit two homers and the double, I think, just a really nice night,” Roberts said. “Really happy for him. He’s been obviously grinding all year to kind of get to this position and like I said, I’ve always said he’s, he’s a big part of what we’re doing as an offense.
“And when he’s going well, it seems like guys feed off that because he’s always in the middle of things.”
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