The Los Angeles Dodgers fell into an early 4-0 deficit Tuesday night but they emphatically erased it and stormed to an 11-4 comeback victory. Austin Barnes provided the initial spark with a two-run home run in the third inning that cut the New York Mets’ lead in half.
The home run was just Barnes’ second of the season and it was only his seventh extra-base hit overall. After finishing the 2017 postseason as the Dodgers’ primary catcher, this year has been trying times for the 28-year-old.
Barnes went into Spring Training expecting to compete for the starting job, but he’s backed up Yasmani Grandal and never threatened to overtake him.
Although Barnes’ home run was his only hit in three plate appearances, he acknowledged a sense of relief considering his struggles, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It’s obviously been a frustrating little funk I’ve been in. Not really little, but yeah, it was nice to contribute. I know what I can do for the team, and to finally put a good A-B together and get us back in the game, yeah, it felt good.”
Additionally, Barnes conceded maintaining confidence amid his season-long slump has been challenging. However, he also found solace in the Dodgers not acquiring a catcher at either the July 31 non-waiver or Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline:
“Obviously it’s been a little bit of a struggle, so them trusting me and Yaz to handle this pitching staff, yeah, it gives me some confidence.”
Before the calendar turned to September, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said the club was in search of a relief pitcher and right-handed batter. They found an arm in Ryan Madson, and the bat in David Freese.
When the Dodgers were looking to upgrade their offense behind the plate in 2016, they traded longtime catcher A.J. Ellis to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017. Barnes’ success last season didn’t make such a deal necessary.
