FanSided

Dodgers: 3 surprising stars who got LAD back on track after Opening Day

By Adam Weinrib |
DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Starting pitcher Julio Urias #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers to home plate during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 4, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 4: Starting pitcher Julio Urias #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers to home plate during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 4, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
1 of 3
Next

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a difficult start to the 2021 season…which lasted all of one game before their offense, rotation and bullpen all teamed up to blow the doors off the moribund Rockies.

Told ya so!

Of course, we do understand the trepidation, though. After five months of patiently waiting to defend a World Series victory, it was not particularly joyful to watch an Opening Day slog, lowlighted by Cody Bellinger running his way into an out despite leaving the yard.

Thanks in large part to these unsung heroes, though, the Dodgers are now firmly on the right track following their first four-game set of the new season.

Of course the Dodgers can hit — this wasn’t a question even on Opening Day, a disaster we’d rather soon forget but one that included a decent run-scoring effort (amid much stupidity).

They proved in the games that followed, though, that they’ve added a few new run suppliers this offseason, and we also learned Dave Roberts made the correct decision in his first major roster move of the 2021 season.

Things were bound to stabilize in the days that followed the opener, but it may have happened more quickly than we expected thanks to these three standouts.

The Dodgers can thank these 3 surprise players for their winning streak.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 4: Starting pitcher Julio Urias #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers to home plate during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 4, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 4-2. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – APRIL 4: Starting pitcher Julio Urias #7 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers to home plate during the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 4, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. The Dodgers defeated the Rockies 4-2. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

3. Julio Urias

One start into the 2021 campaign, Julio Urias has grabbed the fourth starter role by the horns with some flat-out dominance in the toughest road ballpark to pitch in this league has ever seen.

So…not bad, huh?

For the first time in his career on Sunday, Urias went seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run (an inherited runner who scored thanks to Jimmy Nelson) while striking out six. David Price must’ve been proud looking on from the bullpen; after all, he sacrificed his starts in the spotlight to make outings like this from Urias into a reality.

Snatching a series victory from the jaws of a likely split, Urias took the baton from both Trevor Bauer and Walker Buehler, who dominated en route to victory in the games prior (though Bauer unraveled late and Buehler’s bullpen got his win secured).

In an objective examination of the first four starts of the 2021 season, Urias’ was…the most dominant? He never ran out of steam like the tightly-wound Bauer, and he wasn’t victimized by the long ball in seven full innings spent at a hitters’ haven.

Tony Gonsolin’s IL stint has only made Urias’ dominance more important for the first month or two of this season, and making the most impressive start of any member of the Dodgers rotation certainly qualifies you for plaudits here.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 3: Zach McKinstry #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates as he runs home on his way to an inside-the-park home run to take the lead in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – APRIL 3: Zach McKinstry #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates as he runs home on his way to an inside-the-park home run to take the lead in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 3, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

2. Zach McKinstry

We all knew Zach McKinstry had “it,” but…it sure is nice he got a chance to introduce himself on the national stage thanks to one of the wildest plays in recent MLB history, right?

By now, we’ve all seen the madness. Raimel Tapia’s attempted home run robbery on a McKinstry shot turned comical, leading to a Tapia injury, a rolling baseball, and four bags the hard way for the last offensive player on the roster.

This weirdness broke an eighth-inning tie, and was the Dodgers’ first inside-the-parker in three and a half years, a baton Chris Taylor was surely more than happy to pass along.

McKinstry hasn’t been a one-hit wonder, though. Four games into the season, the kid’s appeared in a trio of contests, posting a small-sample-size .429 average and 1.571 OPS — but you’d sure rather see those numbers be inauthentically huge than worryingly small, right?

The 26-year-old has a chance to fill two important roles for the Dodgers moving forward: Kiké Hernández’s Swiss Army knife position in 2021, and potentially Taylor’s role beyond this season.

Whatever happens from hereon out, he’s already got one fate-shifting moment under his belt, picking up his teammate Blake Treinen with the most bizarre of clutch homers.

If he can continue hitting at an advanced clip while starting two or three games a week, Los Angeles could have another extremely valuable utility man in their midst.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 2: Gavin Lux #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 2, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – APRIL 2: Gavin Lux #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers bats during the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on April 2, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /

1. Gavin Lux

After a lost 2020 season (yes, he really was supposed to be a part of last year’s lineup, too), Gavin Lux fought hard for a starting job in spring training, and is making the most of it thus far.

Through four games, it doesn’t only look like the Dodgers have another infield standout. It appears they have an All-Star who’ll reach out and grab the bulk of the playing time at the position.

A rejuvenated Lux led the way from the bottom of the lineup, hitting .375 with a pair of triples in the team’s opening series in Colorado, cementing the idea that this lineup can turn over 1-through-9 with the very best of them.

Perhaps most important here is Lux’s personal journey. From the No. 2 prospect in all of baseball to persona non grata last season when he hit a wimpy .175 in a 19-game cameo, Lux took it upon himself to show off his power, speed and poise — especially after Los Angeles dropped their depressing and out-of-whack opener.

Needing to pick up his team and prove himself, Lux went 4-for-12 during the team’s three wins, rocking both triples and taking a walk.

If and when this team is contending to set records midway through the season, please remember how integral Lux was in waking them up from their Game 1 doldrums. Through one series, the kid is looking absolutely relentless.

Next
Home / LA Dodgers News

Schedule