The Los Angeles Dodgers were one of the more active teams at the non-waiver trade deadline this season, acquiring two position players in Manny Machado and Brian Dozier and relief pitcher John Axford.
A week has gone by since the deadline, and the acquisition of Dozier, in particular, already seems to be paying off.
In five games with the Dodgers, Dozier is batting an impressive .400/.500/1.000 with two home runs and seven RBI. He drove in two of the team’s three runs in Sunday’s victory over the Houston Astros.
When asked how it feels to be with a new team in the midst of a pennant run, Dozier had nothing but positive things to say about his time in Los Angeles thus far, via SportsNet LA:
“It’s been great, very welcoming. Obviously getting to know the guys and everything. Played against pretty much everyone throughout the years. It’s great. My wife and I are enjoying it. It feels really good and rejuvenating to play some winning baseball right now, so I’m having a lot of fun.”
In Dozier’s seven Major League seasons with the Minnesota Twins, he played in just one playoff game, which was the American League Wildcard Game last year.
So it definitely has to be a good feeling to join a first-place team that has won their division and advanced to the postseason each of the last five seasons. The Dodgers have not won any World Series championship in that span, however, so Dozier could end up being the missing piece to go all the way this time around.
He is a notorious second-half hitter, and after homering in each of his first two games in a Dodger uniform, could be on his way to a big second half once again.
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