What We Learned During the Dodgers-Padres Series

Gonzalez is out there playing softball.

Apparently Adrian Gonzalez had a secret going into Opening Day. The secret was that if you mix boxing with baseball then pitches begin looking like giant cookies easier for you to mash on. Or maybe it was just his improved core strength. Whatever it is, let’s hope it continues. Gonzo’s numbers through the first series would put any Sunday league softball player to shame: 10-for-13 at the plate with 2 dubs, 5 homers (including a trifecta in the series closer), 7 RBIs and 27 total bases. Is that a .769 slugging percentage? No, that’s just his batting average. His slugging checks in at 2.077.

The bullpen has potential.

Most agree that Game 2 was a botched job by the bullpen, but Games 1 and 3 were lights out. Pedro Baez put in 2.1 innings of work allowing only 1 hit and 0 earned runs with 3 punch outs.  Joel Peralta was similar, pitching 2 innings and giving up 0 earned runs on 2 hits. Yimi Garcia, Chris Hatcher, and Paco Rodriguez have also taken advantage of the opportunities given as the bullpen shut out the Padres in Games 1 and 3 on 7 innings of work. For the series the pen only gave up 3 earned run over 10 innings.

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Baseball has ups and downs.

Jimmy Rollins was the hero of the day on Monday with an 8^th inning game winning homerun.  Then on Tuesday he took his place with the goat horns making two uncharacteristic errors contributing to the loss. It’s a long season and we’ve only played 1.8% of it. Some days it will appear that every move Andrew Friedman and Co. made in the offseason was done with divine planning. On other days the fan base will think that same FO has lost its ever-bleeding mind. I’ve even heard Vin Scully make a couple sly digs at Don Mattingly’s substitution rate in the latter innings, quipping that the Dodger skipper is apparently on a mission to burn out his bullpen. Some days will be like that, and others will go the other way. In these first three games we’ve already experienced a taste of the roller coaster that is the MLB regular season.

Apr 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (23) holds his golden glove and silver slugger awards before the game against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Not everyone has to be hitting for the Dodgers to win.

With Gonzalez hitting like he is, who needs anyone else, right? Although it would be great if some folks could actually get on base before Adrian launches his next home run…which I believe he hit off the plane just now headed to Arizona. I exaggerate, of course, but one good thing about this opening series is that we’ve seen the Dodgers win without needing everyone to be clicking. Juan Uribe and Yasiel Puig only have one hit apiece combining for a paltry 2-for-21 (.095). Puig has struck out 4 times alone. We know those two will get their licks in at some point, but for this lineup to generate 16 runs in 3 games with one of its biggest sluggers (Puig) going 1-for-12 means that other guys are capable of stepping up. Referring back to the “Ups and Downs” of baseball, there is sure to be stretches at some point in the season when Gonzalez is not hitting 5 homers every 3 games (although I find that hard to imagine). When those dark days arrive I have full confidence that others in this lineup will be ready to carry the burden of creating runs.

It could be feast or famine for Pederson.

Picking up on that last note, I believe Joc Pederson can be one of those guys that can carry the offensive load in limited stretches. In the opening series we witnessed feast-or-famine from the young man at the plate as he went 2-for-10. Both of his hits were doubles, he had a couple walks, stole a base, and scored a couple runs.  Otherwise it seemed he was only striking out. He finished with 5 Ks in the series, leading the team so far. We saw some seasoned hitting from Pederson during the spring. He made adjustments to different situations, revealing some of the vast potential he possesses. The regular season is a whole different animal, and it may take him a moment to adapt. Ups and downs. Feast or famine. That’s baseball.

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Call to the Pen

Two other notes of interest:

Howie Kendrick looks like a stabilizing force in the lineup.

The calm veteran went 5-for-12 with a double, a triple, and a stolen base (he was caught once as well). He’s been the Dodgers’ best hitter so far outside of Gonzo, forcing pitchers to go at Adrian instead of pitching around him. At second base Kendrick has fielded 18 chances recording 10 assists and 8 put outs with 0 errors.

Zack Greinke is ready to dominate.

Yes, I can say this confidently after just one start. Zack worked 6 innings allowing just 2 hits and 1 earned run on a cold and rainy night. Another bit of irony from this first series: both Greinke and Clayton Kershaw had Quality Starts in their first appearances but weren’t able to record a decision. Brandon McCarthy, on the other hand, recorded his first W of the year without throwing a QS (he only went 5 innings and gave up 4 runs). Again, that’s baseball. Now bring on the Diamondbacks.