The Los Angeles Dodgers scored 11 runs Monday night, slugged three home runs, none of which were from Max Muncy, who went hitless in four plate appearances. Yet, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts specifically named Muncy among the standouts from the comeback win against the Seattle Mariners.
“We obviously needed every run we could get. I thought offensively it was a very well-executed game plan. The at-bats we took all night long, I thought were great. The baserunning was very good,” Roberts said.
“Mookie swinging the bat well, Corey matching his brother blow for blow, that was the game within the game and a lot of fun. I thought Max had his best game all-around offensively. There were a lot of good things.”
Muncy is among the Dodgers who have started the season slowly, though Roberts spent the weekend voicing confidence he was on the verge of turning the corner. Muncy was given a night off in the Freeway Series opener, then a combined 2-for-7 with one home run and five RBI in two games agains the L.A. Angels.
“Max is closer than it appears. I really do believe that,” Roberts said after Muncy’s sacrifice fly in extra innings lifted the Dodgers to a win. “I think there were some calls in the last couple games that really flipped counts, and that makes it a little bit tougher. That happens; more so when you’re not going well.”
Muncy then hit a home run Sunday as the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Angels. “I wasn’t seeing the lower chase the last few days, I saw more aggressive and better swings,” Roberts explained. “And when I see him not hitting the ball, releasing the barrel and grounders to the pull side, I know he’s on his way to getting out of something.
“When he gets his direction to the big part of the field, he’s as good as anybody in baseball.”
On Monday, it was Muncy’s plate discipline that drew praise from Roberts. “He understands the value of 90 feet and of slug. But when you’re not getting hits, you just have a tendency to chase hits,” Roberts said.
“For him to have a quality at-bat and get on by walk three times, I tip my hat to him.”
One of Muncy’s three walks came with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. It pulled the Dodgers even, and they went on to score three more runs in their comeback win.
Muncy sustained fracture in finger
Muncy was with the Dodgers from the outset of Summer Camp but was delayed in his extended participation in intrasquad games. He was hit by a pitch in the ring finger on his left hand. Muncy recently revealed he sustained a fracture, which the team had not disclosed.
While most would assume that has been behind struggles at the plate from a physical standpoint, the 29-year-old said it created more of a mental hurdle with the placement of his hands.
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