Dodgers Way Quick Hits: Dodgers Piling up Stolen Bases in August

The Dodgers have been a station to station team for most of the season especially since they have relied on the home run ball for offense.  Lately, the club has gone on a stolen base spree.

When the Dodgers acquired Manny Machado and Brian Dozier prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, they expected an uptick in home runs and extra base hits.  The last thing the Dodgers expected was an increase in the number of stolen bases.

For the season, the Dodgers rank 17th in MLB with 56 stolen bases.  Nearly half of those 56 stolen bases have come in the month of August.  The Dodgers lead MLB in stolen bases for the month of August with 26 stolen bases.  That puts them one ahead of the Rays for the most stolen bases in August.

Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor have led the stole base spree with five stolen bases each in August.  Manny Machado ranks second on the Dodgers with four stolen bases this month.  Brian Dozier has three stolen bases this month which means that Machado and Dozier have combined for seven of the Dodgers 26 stolen bases in August.

The Dodgers may get even better at stealing bases in September when they call-up Tim Locastro, Alex Verdugo, and Andrew Toles.  All of a sudden the Dodgers went from a station to station team to a team that is burning up the base paths with stolen bases.  The stolen base could help the Dodgers snap their offensive slump and generate more runs.

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Other news…

• Rich Hill pitched six shutout innings last night while allowing only one walk.  Hill did not allow a hit until the fifth inning and remains one of the Dodgers’ best pitchers in the second half.  Since the all-star break, Hill has a 2.13 ERA and is 4-0.
• Yimi Garcia was activated prior to last night’s game and Daniel Hudson was placed on the DL yet again with forearm tightness.  The injury for Hudson could end his season and possibly lead to another surgery.  Garcia pitched an inning last night and allowed one run.
• Justin Turner has been red hot since the all-star break and now has a .390 batting average in the second half to go along with a 1.186 OPS.  Turner has already matched his first-half total of five home runs in half the number of games.

• Friday night was a perfect night for the Dodgers as they gained a game on both the Rockies and Diamondbacks to pull within 3.5 games of first place.  With thirteen games left against the Rockies and Dbacks the Dodgers are far from done in the NL West race.