The Los Angeles Dodgers were two outs away from being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals in another frustrating series when Teoscar Hernández rode some of his recent momentum to deliver a walk-off double.
The hit was Hernández’s second of the game and marked his fourth time reaching safely in the Dodgers’ 39th comeback win of the season. The victory certainly was significant as L.A. remains in a battle with the Atlanta Braves for the No. 2 seed in the National League.
But the implications could be felt further down the line not just for the Dodgers’ offense as a unit, but Hernández on a personal level. He appeared to be on the verge of getting relegated to a platoon role in left field, which the 33-year-old revealed he would have been accepting of and stated as much in a conversation with manager Dave Roberts.
“I’m a player that if I’m not doing what I’m supposed to do, and somebody else is doing the job and helping the team win, I told Dave, ‘If you feel like you have to put somebody else in there, just do it,'” Hernández shared. “Know that I’m going to keep working and I’m going to try to be ready for the times he needs me.”
The Dodgers wound up adding Alex Freeland to their roster than than James Tibbs III, and Hernández started all three games against the Cardinals. He’s in the midst of a four-game hitting streak that partly is due to finding a swing last Saturday.
“It was just the way my body was reacting. It was more under control, I was able to notice everything I was doing,” Hernández explained. “Even though it was an out, I knew I didn’t hit it really good but it was progress in the moment. So I had something to work with, and that was a swing that’s leading to other good results I’m having lately.
“Like I always say, when I’m hitting the ball hard to right field, center field, left field, and use the whole field, that’s when I know my swing is on point and everything is going to come behind that.”
During his hitting streak, Hernández has put 13 balls in play over the four games. Eleven of them have had an exit velocity more than 100 mph.
Teoscar Hernández improving splits
The Dodgers have historically relied on Hernández to hit both left- and right-handed pitching, but his same-side splits have largely lagged behind this season. Improvement in that area has Roberts particularly optimistic his slugger is now on a better path.
“Honestly, this series. He hit the homer against the lefty in Detroit, but then against right-handed pitching this series, I thought his at-bats were much better; taking walks, swinging at the right pitches and hitting the ball hard,” Roberts said. “This is as good as I’ve seen him versus right since April.
“I give him all the credit. I’ve always said we’re better with him in the lineup, but performance certainly matters. This series, albeit a small sample, was really good. As you get to the postseason and toward the end of the season, you’ve got to start figuring out who we can play, who we can count on, who’s dependable.
“The at-bats he was taking these last three games were really good.”
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