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The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached the midpoint of May and are within striking distance of reclaiming first place in the National League West after splitting a four-game series with the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.
Los Angeles clicked on all cylinders during the first two weeks of the month, going 8-4 with a plus-35 run differential.
To round out May, the Dodgers will face a pair of last-place teams in the San Francisco Giants on the road, and the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium before taking on the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs to close out a 10-game homestand. A trip to Busch Stadium will follow.
Let’s review the first half of the month and highlight key contributors that helped spark the Dodgers’ resurgence in recent weeks, along with those who have slumped in the early going.
Trending Down
Corey Seager: It’s been a slow start to the month for Seager, who’s batting just .213 with a .283 on-base percentage in 53 plate appearances thus far.
Seager did, however, hit his first home run since April 27 on Sunday in a loss to the Rockies.
Hyun Jin-Ryu: The left-hander has made one start in May to date, allowing 10 runs (five earned) in four innings pitched at Coors Field, yielding six walks compared to four strikeouts.
CONTINUE READING: Players trending up, plus honorable mentions
Trending Up
Alex Wood: Over the last two weeks, Wood has accumulated a Major League-leading 1.1 WAR (per FanGraphs) among qualified pitchers despite pitching to an unsustainably high .424 BABIP.
In 16 innings (three starts), Wood earned a win in each outing, posting a superb 2.25 ERA while registering a negative FIP (-0.06) and minuscule 0.35 xFIP.
What’s more, Wood’s 16.3 strikeouts per nine innings during that span leads the Majors, with the lefty tallying back-to-back double-digit strikeout performances for the first time in his career.
Yasmani Grandal: In his last 10 games (40 plate appearances), Grandal has torn the cover off the ball, hitting a whopping .462/.488/.667 with six extra base hits and a team-leading 0.8 WAR among positional players.
Cody Bellinger: The top prospect has taken Major League Baseball by storm since being promoted at the end of April, putting up a slash line of .327/.397/.712 with three doubles, one triple and five home runs.
Chris Taylor: The versatile utility man has received an increase in playing time as of late, batting .293/.431/.463 with two home runs (including a grand slam) and 10 walks in 51 trips to the plate.
Kenta Maeda: After a disappointing month of April, Maeda put together his best stretch since the second half of the 2016 season.
In two May starts (13.1 innings), the right-hander averaged nearly seven innings per outing while posting a solid 2.03 ERA and 2.70 FIP. He struck out 13 batters while issuing just three free passes in those outings.
As if that wasn’t encouraging enough, Maeda’s 0.4 WAR during that same span ranks second on the team, only behind Wood’s mark.
Honorable Mentions
Chase Utley: The veteran has thrived with an increased playing role at first base, batting .308/.400/.538 with a pair of doubles and triples in his last 30 plate appearances.
Kenley Jansen: In six appearances since the final day of April, Jansen did not allow a run, posting a negative FIP (-1.50) and negative xFIP (-0.57) with an absurd 20.3 K/9.
Justin Turner: He has enjoyed a productive month of May so far, slashing .304/.400/.348 with two doubles in 55 plate appearances.