Dodgers News: Maeda Shines, Even In Trouble

Kenta Maeda didn’t have his best stuff yesterday, but that didn’t prevent him from pitching six scoreless innings for the second straight start of the season. He did get some help from his defense behind him, but the Los Angeles Dodgers ended up losing anyways. It was a sad end to a great day.

Still, one of the most impressive parts of the day was when Maeda was faced with a situation when runners were on second and third with nobody out. Rather than give in and give up, Maeda fought. And he fought hard. The end result was three in a row retired to get out of the inning unscathed, and some people took notice.

From Dylan Hernandez, contact reporter for the Los Angeles Times:

“He never loses his poise,” pitching coach Rick Honeycutt said. “I think you almost see the best of him when he’s in trouble. That shows how competitive he is and how he’s able to execute when he has to.”

It’s pretty cool to see Rick Honeycutt, the Dodgers pitching coach, take note of just how much Maeda didn’t want to give up a run. That focus from Maeda propelled him through that inning with nothing doing for the other side, and it was just another signature moment in his first two starts.

Maeda’s next scheduled start is Sunday evening as the Dodgers take on the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. It will be ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball game of the week, so be sure to tune in if you can. The right-hander from Japan has become “must watch” just two games into his career.