The Los Angeles Dodgers were primed for more consistency Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds as their lineup included the same top eight for a third consecutive game. However, Gavin Lux was then scratched due to what the team only described as a right forearm injury.
“It was a pitching machine, ball got away, I guess, and got him pretty good in the forearm,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared after his club’s 3-1 loss that snapped their six-game hitting streak.
“X-rays we took during the game were negative, which is certainly a positive. I’ll have him down again and the hope is he’ll be available in some capacity off the bench and Sunday as well.”
The minor injury appears to only have affected Lux for one night as he is back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Reds. That should bode well for the Dodgers considering he has been performing at a high level since returning from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier this month.
Lux has seven hits in his last 17 at-bats (.411), along with three walks in 21 plate appearances. The offensive production has been a boon to the bottom of the Dodgers’ lineup that also started to received improved production from Cody Bellinger.
“There’s just more of a calmness in the batter’s box,” Roberts said earlier this week. “I think he’s really settled in, he’s allowing his athleticism and ability to be a good baseball player kind of come to the forefront.
“There’s just no panic in the box. He’s always had the ability to look over the baseball, and now there’s a calm, a clarity, and he’s using the whole field, taking really good at-bats and helping us win some ballgames. Really, really excited for him.”
Lux learning left field
Along with getting back on track offensively after spending multiple weeks with OKC, Lux has exclusively played left field this month. He previously expressed an openness to filling a utility role the Dodgers envisioned for the time being.
Playing left field, which Lux initially started to do for Oklahoma City, is a career first. It’s come with some growing pains — namely communication issues — but Roberts credited Lux for taking on the challenge and not playing passively.
While Roberts previously lauded Lux for his play, miscommunication has resulted in Bellinger sustaining a non-displaced fracture in his ribs. Bellinger dealing with soreness was another factor in Lux returning to the lineup Saturday.
Roberts also referred to him as a “quick healer.”
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