While the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Kenta Maeda to an incentive-laden eight-year contract prior to the 2016 season, he quieted some of the concerns by turning in a strong rookie campaign. But the right-hander had struggled mightily through four starts this season.
Maeda took the mound Friday against the Philadelphia Phillies with a 1-2 record and 8.05 ERA. He’d surrendered four home runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks in his previous outing. But on Friday night Maeda pitched seven innings for the first time since July 10, 2016.
He allowed two runs on five hits, and finished with eight strikeouts. Some of Maeda’s success was a byproduct of incorporating a cut fastball into his repertoire, which he threw a minimum of 10 times in the win.
It’s a pitch Maeda believes he’ll continue using moving forward, per Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“It was the first time I was really able to incorporate it and use it to get outs,” Maeda said. “I think it’s going to be a new way to get hitters out now.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stopped short of publicly declaring so, but there was some belief that Maeda was pitching for his spot in the rotation. The successful outing aided him mentally:
“It’s a huge boost of confidence,” Maeda said. “A really great day.”
Roberts thought Maeda reverted back to what made him successful last season. “Everything he was throwing was with conviction,” Roberts said. “And it was great to see.” The second-year manager had previously expressed a belief Maeda was attempting to generate too much increased velocity on his pitches.
While Maeda managed to erase his early struggles for the night, Roberts would not yet commit to keeping the 29-year-old in the rotation.
