Dodgers Manager’s Pep Talk Fueled Gavin Lux’s Breakout Game
Los Angeles Dodgers management was adamant about giving second baseman Gavin Lux a minimum of 150 plate appearances this season before making judgments about his playing time. As of Wednesday, he has had 175 at-bats and the Dodgers made a deal for Toronto Blue Jays super-utility man Cavan Biggio.
The writing could be on the wall for Lux, who is batting .223 since returning from a torn ACL he suffered during spring training last year. His defense at second base has been solid, but his offense has yet to come around.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts met behind closed doors with Lux on Sunday before the team’s series finale against the New York Yankees. He wanted to reinforce to his second baseman that he wasn’t giving up on him.
“It was about, because he’s not getting results, just keep trying to take good at-bats,” Roberts told Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic. “I complimented him on his defense, the focus pitch to pitch. I’m going to keep running him out there. I was just trying to pat him on the butt a little bit.”
The 26-year-old told The Athletic that he spoke with Roberts about attacking the outer half of the plate, focusing more on mentality than mechanics. The pep talk worked: Lux produced his first three-hit game of the season Sunday night.
Lux also had a good night Monday, going 2-for-4 with a run batted in, a run scored, and a walk in the team’s 15-2 win against the Texas Rangers.
“I think the last like month or so I’ve felt a lot better and obviously the results haven’t shown. Some of that is just baseball being baseball and it is what it is,” Lux said. “But yeah, I just think with more game time, more at-bats, my legs have gotten under me more. I think it’ll continue to be getting better as the season goes on.”
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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