The Los Angeles Dodgers broke out the bats in Friday’s opener against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field, coming away with a lopsided 11-1 victory and maintaining their current standing in the National League West.
The club was propelled by five home runs, led by Manny Machado’s two blasts in the fourth and seventh innings. It was the 26-year-old’s most productive game with the Dodgers, as he matched the same amount of home runs he had hit over his previous 26 contests.
After a recent 1-for-12 slump at the plate, Machado has noticeably garnered better results since shifting from the No. 2 spot to Justin Turner’s former No. 3 spot in the batting order.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained that he made the swap after discussing the possibility with both Machado and Turner, as seen on SportsNet LA:
“It was more of a conversation I had with J.T. and Manny, and just trying to figure out where ultimately they feel most comfortable. You’re looking at two elite hitters, so if I could have a conversation to get their honest opinion on where they feel comfortable, that kind of was the deciding factor. I figured we’d do that and ride it out. …[Machado’s] initial default was whatever is best for the ballclub. I finally got it out of him what he feels in his perfect world, if he was writing the script. He said third. And I talked to J.T., so it made sense.”
Given the selflessness of both Machado and Turner, it’s no surprise that the two would be open to swapping spots in the lineup this late in the season. Machado has done everything that’s been asked of him by the Dodgers thus far, including temporarily shifting over to third base while Turner was on the disabled list.
Machado enters Saturday against the Mariners with a three-game hitting streak, having collected at least one extra-base hit in two consecutive contests. In 27 games with the Dodgers, Machado is hitting a solid .280/.364/.467 (124 OPS+) with six doubles, one triple, four home runs and 10 RBI across 121 plate appearances (27 games).
Meanwhile, Turner is in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak, batting .432/.479/.682 with six doubles, one triple, one home run and two RBI.
