The Los Angeles Dodgers’ means to upgrade their roster prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline came with some controversy. While the club was often linked to multiple aces and outfielder Jay Bruce, Los Angeles acquired Rich Hill and Josh Reddick in one fell swoop.
Reddick has a proven track record, while Hill quietly pitched as well as anyone throughout the first half of the season. However, the southpaw’s debut with the Dodgers was delayed due to blisters, and Reddick slumped throughout August.
His struggles were particularly frustrating to some observers, as Reddick’s arrival coincided with Yasiel Puig getting demoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
But Reddick quietly began to hit his stride as time wore on and he’s now enjoying a blistering September, buoyed by a seven-game hitting streak earlier this month.
“Just keep grinding, I didn’t change anything,” he answered Saturday night when asked what changed.
“August was a mixture of bad luck and some bad swings. It’s just about staying with the routine. I’ve been getting a little more lucky this month, it seems to somewhat be evening out now.”
Reddick went 3-for-4 with a season-high five RBI in the Dodgers’ 14-1 rout of the Colorado Rockies. Four of his RBI came on one crack of the bat — with Reddick’s fourth career grand slam capping off a six-run seventh inning.
“I had a feeling I would get a first-pitch fastball. The first two I swung at I was actually trying to (hit a grand slam) a little bit too much,” he said of the at-bat.
“The one I actually hit, I was just trying to see it and put a good swing on it. I’ve got to take more approaches that way. That’s when I do hit the ball well, when I’m trying not to hit it so hard.”
The 29-year-old is batting .370/.404/.500 with five doubles, two home runs and eight RBI in 18 games (15 starts) this month.
