The Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in their three-game series with Max Muncy contributing in a big way throughout the matchup.
The Dodgers outscored the Diamondbacks 23-5 by putting up seven runs in the first and last games, along with nine in the middle contest. While the Dodgers lineup from the top to bottom contributed, it was Muncy who made perhaps the biggest impact, going a combined 5-for-9 with one home run, five RBI, four runs scored and three walks over the three games.
“Just a bunch of team wins,” Muncy said after completing the sweep. “I thought we went out there and performed pretty well as team. The pitching was great. Pep (Ryan Pepiot) and Yarbs (Ryan Yarbrough) tonight were unbelievable. It was a good series from the team standpoint.”
Muncy’s performance is part of a larger overall trend of his hot hitting. In his last seven games, Muncy is batting .407/.500/.825.
“It’s been pretty good,” Muncy said of his latest stretch. “All I can do is just keep focusing on doing my routine every day and trying to stay in a good headspace. Hope that this continues.”
Although Muncy is still batting just .208 on the season, he has contributed 31 home runs, 88 RBI, an .830 on-base plus slugging percentage, .352 wOBA and 124 wRC+, making him one of the top-50 most productive hitters in baseball.
The increased production is encouraging following a down season in 2022 and rough May and June this year, where he posted a wRC+ of 81 and 43, respectively.
“I’ve been able to stay more inside the ball,” Muncy noted. “I’ve had a lot of balls to left-center. It kind of just started in Cleveland after the off day. Things just started clicking a little bit. Just have a different mindset out there.”
In 2018, 2019 and 2021, Muncy was one of the best power hitters in baseball, hitting at least 35 home runs each of those years with elite on-base percentages.
However, at the end of the 2021 season, Muncy suffered a torn UCL in his left elbow which led to his poor production moving forward, taking him from a potential MVP candidate to a league-average player.
If Muncy is fully getting back to form to his pre-injury status, he adds another superstar to an already formidable Dodgers’ lineup.
Max Muncy reverses disappointing batting splits
In early August, Muncy had 26 singles compared to 28 home runs. “Obviously, I’ll never complain about the homers,” Muncy said at the time..
“But I’m not real proud of that one.”
As the month winds down, Muncy now has 34 singles compared to 31 home runs, which is something he can be more proud of after a fantastic month. He has also added 15 doubles, but he has yet to triple this year.
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