The Los Angeles Dodgers have experienced their fair share of ups-and-downs in the early stages of the 2016 season, but they nonetheless enter play on Tuesday tied with Colorado Rockies for first place in the National League West with an 8-5 record.
After going 4-2 on a recent homestand with series wins against the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants, the Dodgers face a six-game road trip that takes them to Atlanta and Colorado.
Let’s review those who are on the rise and those who scuttled through the first two weeks of the season.
Trending Down
Scott Kazmir: A new addition to the starting rotation in 2016, Kazmir has begun the year on a negative note.
In 14 innings pitched (three starts), he allowed 10 earned runs and 16 baserunners — amounting to a 6.43 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
A.J. Ellis: Seeing extra playing time with Yasmani Grandal unavailable for the first week of the season, Ellis has struggled offensively to start the year.
In 28 plate appearances, he is batting .174/.296/.217 with one double and four walks compared to six strikeouts.
Howie Kendrick: Relegated to the disabled list for the first week of the season, Kendrick has yet to find his groove.
In 20 plate appearances, he is batting just .211 with zero extra-base hits while also committing two errors defensively as well. However, Kendrick has been of some additional benefit as injuries have forced him to play some left field.
CONTINUE READING: Dodgers who are trending up, and honorable mentions
Trending Up
Kenta Maeda: The 28-year old Japanese-import couldn’t have imagined a better start to his rookie season.
In 19 innings pitched, Maeda allowed just one earned run and 18 baserunners while striking out 15 — good for a 0.47 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.
Maeda even homered against the San Diego Padres in his Major League debut, becoming the first Dodger to do so since Jose Offerman in the 1990 season.
Clayton Kershaw: The three-time Cy Young Award winner is off to another dominant start in 2016, winning two of his first three games against divisional rivals.
In a combined 22 innings, Kershaw allowed just 10 hits (four earned runs) and issued two walks while punching out 20 batters — equating to a 10.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Kiké Hernandez: The super-utility man is making the most of his extended playing time early on, as he is slashing .400/.438/.700 with five extra-base hits in 32 plate appearances.
On Friday, Hernandez propelled the Dodgers to victory with two home runs against Giants ace Madison Bumgarner, lending more validation to his reputation as someone who crushes left-handed pitching.
Honorable Mentions
Yasiel Puig: Puig has done a little bit of everything to open up the season. In 52 plate appearances, he has posted a .976 on-base plus slugging percentage with five extra-base hits, five runs batted in, five walks and two stolen bases.
He also scored from second base on an infield single to get the Dodgers an insurance run against the Giants. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Grandal both praised Puig’s aggressive baserunning this season.
Ross Stripling: The 26-year-old rookie had one of the best pitching debuts in Major League Baseball history, going 7.1 innings without allowing a hit before being removed from the game because of a pitch count limit. Through two weeks, he has pitched to a 2.03 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 13.1 innings.
Kenley Jansen: The long-time Dodgers closer is enjoying another terrific start to the season, as he has yet to allow a run in 5.2 innings, recording five saves in the process.