The Los Angeles Dodgers got their first win of the season Saturday night, as they were finally able to put some runs on the board and defeat the San Francisco Giants, 5-0.
Kenta Maeda looked great in his season debut, as he struck out 10 in five shutout innings, giving up just five hits and one walk. Saturday marked just the second time Maeda reached double-digit strikeouts in his career.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited him for being able to command all his pitches and going right after hitters, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
“He was just on the attack,” said Roberts. “His fastball velocity, touching 94 several times, was really good, to all quadrants. His change was good tonight. Obviously, the slider kept guys off-balance and he really was in control all night long.”
Maeda served as a reliever for the Dodgers in the postseason last year, where he saw success due to his velocity ticking up. He’s now taking that reliever’s mentality into his starts, which Roberts believed led to success:
“When he’s touching 94, there’s some punch in there,” Roberts said. “Credit to him to get after it and be aggressive with the fastball in the strike zone. Will you get that every time out? Probably not, but it was good tonight.”
So far the Dodgers pitching staff has done their part this season, as the Giants have managed just two runs in five games, with both coming on solo home runs by Joe Panik.
If Maeda can continue to pitch with the same intensity that he showed Saturday night, then he could be a candidate to have a breakout season for the Dodgers. His next start will likely come Friday, once more against the Giants, but in San Francisco.
