Kenta Maeda lasts seven innings in Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Phillies

April 28, 2017 11:35 PM PT

He bared his teeth as he bore down on third base, but Corey Seager was not smiling. The exertion stretched his face into a rictus. Seager does not possess upscale speed, but he emptied his tank in chugging from first to third in the fifth inning of a 5-3 Dodgers victory over Philadelphia on Friday night.

After leading off with a walk, Seager gambled on his legs versus the arm of center fielder Odubel Herrera. When Adrian Gonzalez singled up the middle, Seager barreled past second base and dove into third. The extra 90 feet proved crucial. He scored the go-ahead run when Yasmani Grandal lifted a sacrifice fly.

“I just took a chance,” Seager said. “And it worked out.”

Listless for much of April, the Dodgers offense requires hustle. Seager and Justin Turner are the only consistent performers. Gonzalez has yet to supply power. Injuries have sidelined Logan Forsythe and Joc Pederson. Thus the Dodgers must scrape by, hopeful that this month will be an aberration, not a harbinger.

On Friday, they triumphed after scoring runs on a wild pitch and a double by the No. 8 hitter. Turner delivered insurance with a two-run double in the sixth, which eased the tension for Kenta Maeda.

In his best outing of 2017, Maeda (2-2) completed the seventh inning for the first time since July 10. He gave up two runs and eight hits. He struck out eight Phillies. He streamlined his delivery and implemented the use of a cut fastball.

“It was the first time I was really able to incorporate it and use it to get outs,” Maeda said. “I think it’s going to be a new way to get hitters out now.”

The Dodgers came home after a trip in which they were 3-4 and fell below .500. The schedule tilted back in their favor starting Friday. The team plays nine games against the Phillies, the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres, which offers the club a chance to find its footing.

The game Friday operated as something of an audition for Maeda. The team’s roster includes six starting pitchers. Alex Wood earned another opportunity to start after giving up only one hit in six innings against the Giants on Wednesday. Maeda’s performance complicated matters for manager Dave Roberts.

“As an organization, we’ve got to have some conversations,” Roberts said. “Maybe some tough conversations.”

In watching Maeda on Friday, Roberts saw what he called “clarity.” Maeda understood the pitcher he needed to be. That quality had been elusive in 2017.

“Everything he was throwing was with conviction,” Roberts said. “It was great to see.”

Maeda looked lost last week in Arizona. The Diamondbacks hit four homers against him. Maeda appeared unable to keep his fastball low in the strike zone, which Roberts felt resulted from his attempting to generate added velocity on the pitch.

The next morning, Roberts called Maeda and his interpreter, Will Ireton, into his office.

Roberts outlined a series of suggestions. The organization wanted Maeda to return to the two-seam sinking fastball he utilized in Japan, while adding the cutter he experimented with this spring.

In his first four starts this season, Maeda abandoned the sinker. He used the pitch only 5% of the time, while favoring the four-seam fastball 43% of the time. The ratio did not fit his strengths, team officials felt.

“He’s got to take full ownership of the pitches, and not totally rely on the catchers,” pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. “Sometimes you get caught up in the scouting report, and not what you do best.”

On Friday, Maeda avoided trouble until the third inning. A one-out walk by catcher Cameron Rupp opened the door. Maeda left a fastball at the thighs of second baseman Cesar Hernandez, who roped a single. With runners at the corners, shortstop Freddy Galvis thumped a hanging curveball into the right-field corner. Two runs scored.

The Dodgers halved the deficit in the bottom of the inning. After singles by Andrew Toles and Turner, pitcher Jerad Eickhoff lost a curveball in the dirt. Toles scooted home on the wild pitch.

An inning later, Cody Bellinger came to bat for only his second game at Dodger Stadium. The Phillies vacated the left side of the infield, confident in Bellinger’s propensity for pulling the baseball toward right field. Bellinger defused the shift by pushing a two-out bunt single toward first base.

The deftness from Bellinger soon proved lucrative. Up came Enrique Hernandez. He stung a fastball over the head of left fielder Aaron Altherr for a score-tying double.

In the fifth, Seager helped the Dodgers pull ahead. Maeda protected the lead without incident. He kept the baseball low in the strike zone throughout the game. He struck out two in the sixth. Roberts elected to send him back out for the seventh.

The double by Turner aided Maeda’s cause. He did not waver. After a two-out double by Rupp, Maeda brushed aside pinch-hitter Ty Kelly. He buzzed a 92-mph fastball to finish his best performance of 2017.

“It’s a huge boost of confidence,” Maeda said. “A really great day.”

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