LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have spent many of the season questioning what a full-strength offense may have the ability to do for them. On Monday evening, for the primary time since mid-Might, they acquired a glimpse of that.
Previous to the sport, Max Muncy and Tommy Edman had been activated from prolonged stints on the injured checklist and slotted into the batting order, giving L.A. as deep of a lineup because it’s had all 12 months. Each contributed in L.A.’s 3-0 win over the Mariners at Dodger Stadium, with Muncy homering, whereas Edman singled and stole a base within the decisive seventh inning.
“You’ve Tommy hitting ninth and simply including great size … it is only a relentless lineup,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “While you’ve acquired Max Muncy hitting seventh within the lineup, that is saying one thing.”
Bringing again Muncy and Edman meant some tough choices, with Nick Ahmed being designated for project and Andy Pages getting optioned previous to Monday’s recreation because the corresponding strikes. Nevertheless it additionally signifies that the Dodgers, not less than from an offensive standpoint, are in the end capable of subject a group very near the one they envisioned on Opening Day. Muncy will resume the on a regular basis third-base position, whereas Edman — acquired in a three-way Commerce Deadline deal involving the Cardinals and White Sox, the identical swap that introduced right-hander Michael Kopech to Los Angeles — will deal with the majority of middle subject work, with occasional begins at shortstop combined in.
“While you have a look at one-through-nine guys that may take at-bats, that may slug, that may get successful, that may get to all fields, that is type of [how] we put this roster collectively,” stated Roberts. “And eventually, we get an opportunity to see it.”
It was an arduous journey for Muncy to work his means again from the suitable indirect pressure that formally sidelined him on Might 17. Indirect accidents are notoriously tough to heal from, however in keeping with Muncy, his timeline was additional delayed by his backside proper rib being popped misplaced, inflicting him further discomfort and forcing him to place his rehab on pause. As soon as that was lastly identified and handled, his restoration went way more easily.
Towards the Mariners, the Dodgers’ third baseman demonstrated a wholesome swing, pummeling a Statcast-projected 400-foot dwelling run within the seventh inning off Seattle reliever Yimi García. In his earlier at-bat, he hit a 95.8 mph lineout.
“The mechanics really feel actually good,” stated Muncy. “Clearly, the timing isn’t fully the place I wish to be, however that is simply one thing that is going to return with extra time on the market on the sphere. There’s solely a lot time you possibly can have doing a rehab project.”
It was a fair longer time down for Edman, who had missed your entire season whereas recovering from proper wrist surgical procedure and had his preliminary try at a rehab stint interrupted by ankle soreness. He resumed rehabbing on July 24 till 5 days later, when he was dealt to the Dodgers. With L.A., he started one more rehab project. In all, it added as much as sufficient reps to simulate what was basically his Spring Coaching.
Edman, whose mom grew up a Dodgers fan and who nonetheless has household within the L.A. space that turned out to cheer him on, confirmed that his personal timing was simply positive on Monday. He put the ball in play twice earlier than lastly developing with a base hit, which left his bat at 103.3 mph.
“I am excited to lastly be enjoying in some large league video games once more,” Edman stated previous to the sport. “I actually have not been on the injured checklist very a lot my entire profession up till this 12 months, so it is felt bizarre not attending to play. So I am excited and hopefully [will] end this 12 months out sturdy.”
As Dodgers starter Gavin Stone recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings, the Dodgers’ bats — regardless of that vaunted depth — had been stymied by Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo by means of six innings.
They lastly broke by means of within the backside of the seventh, when Gavin Lux homered to interrupt the scoreless tie. Muncy’s two-run homer offered some much-needed insurance coverage as L.A. batted round, an illustration of simply how tough a time this crew is able to giving opposing pitching staffs.
“For Max to return up tonight in an enormous spot and homer gave us some respiration room, gave Joe [Kelly] somewhat runway, after which [allowed] Evan [Phillips] to complete it,” stated Roberts. “However I simply actually like [that] now, we’re lastly wholesome so far as on the position-player aspect.”
