After being shut out by the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers bounced back with a victory, putting them in position to finish with a series win before hitting the road for a six-game road trip. Yasiel Puig, again hitting eighth, slugged his first home run of the season Wednesday night.
Puig said after the win that his focus has been on improving pitch recognition and his swing. He’s also mindful of avoiding groundball outs. “I need to put the ball in the air, or else I’m not going to have any money in my pockets,” Puig said through an interpreter.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also referenced the likelihood of Puig seeing success at the plate when hitting the ball in the air. “With Yasiel, he’s so strong, he can hit the ball out of the ballpark anywhere,” Roberts said.
“So, if he can elevate the baseball pretty much anywhere, then he’s got a chance.” Puig carried his home-run swing into Thursday’s series finale against the Padres.
He clubbed the first pitch he saw from Jered Weaver in the second inning for a two-run homer. Then in the fourth inning, Puig hit another two-run homer, extending the Dodgers’ lead to 4-0.
The multi-home run game was Puig’s first since June 4, 2013, which was just his second career game with the Dodgers. As of early Thursday afternoon, the 26-year-old led the Majors with three home runs this season.
