'Just had a feeling': Roberts flips Miggy and Muncy in order -- and they go off for 3 homers
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DENVER -- Shortly before the start of Monday’s finale of a four-game series against the Rockies, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a tweak in his batting order, flipping the sixth and seventh hitters in the lineup so Max Muncy moved up to sixth and Miguel Rojas moved down to seventh.
“I just kind of had a feeling,” Roberts said of the instinctive last-minute switch. “I didn't know how long [Rockies lefty Jose] Quintana was going to go, and I wanted to get Max in there a little bit sooner, up a little bit higher. I felt having a little protection behind him with Miguel was a good decision.”
The results were unimpeachable, with the duo going 7-for-7 with three homers, a walk, a sac bunt, four RBI, and four runs scored as the Dodgers routed the Rockies 12-3 to secure a series split in Colorado.
Muncy started the hit parade with a one-out solo shot to right in the top of the second. He finished the game going 4-for-4 with two homers, a walk, three runs, and two RBIs, hitting .588 (10-for-17) with four homers and a double, over the four-game series.
Rojas followed with his first big fly of the year -- the first back-to-back homers for the Dodgers this season -- to take the lead. He finished 3-for-3 with a homer, a sac bunt, two RBI and a run, with the second of his hits logging in as his 1,000th career knock.
“This was the first clubhouse that I ever walked in as a Major Leaguer, and I got the opportunity to make my debut here with Clayton Kershaw on the mound,” Rojas said of the full-circle moment. “I will never forget that moment when I got my first hit on a rainy day in Coors Field, and now I got the chance to say that I hit [No.] 1,000 here.”
As the Dodgers kept adding on, scoring in every subsequent inning but the fifth, Dalton Rushing got hot, adding homers in the eighth and ninth inning to help provide the necessary Coors Field cushion. He has seven home runs in his first eight games of the season, just the third Major League player since at least 1900 to accomplish that feat, joining Trevor Story (seven in 2016) and Mike Schmidt (eigh in 1976).
“He's performing,” Roberts said. “It's good to see him smile. He's really hard on himself and expects a lot, but, man, he's off to a tremendous start.”
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On the subject of tremendous starts, Justin Wrobleski was dominant on the mound, a worthy follow-up to his start against the Mets a week ago when he pitched eight scoreless innings of two-hit, no-walk ball. Monday, he went seven innings and allowed one run (earned) on eight hits and no walks, lowering his ERA to 1.88.
Muncy may have enjoyed Rojas’ memorable moment more than he enjoyed his own big night.
“We've grown close over the years, all the work we put in together on defense, me trying to learn from him,” Muncy said of the special one-two punch the pair offered. “He's one of the best out there, and I just try to pick his brain on defense. To see him get [to] 1,000 hits tonight, I know it was special for him, but it was special for all of us to go to see him do it.”
For Rojas, it was especially important to think of those who weren’t there Monday night, including his father, who passed away after suffering a heart attack on April 7.
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“I was thinking about all the people that made sacrifices for me to be in this place,” Rojas said, also mentioning his parents and grandparents. “My family have been with me through the ups and downs, and since I was a little kid. They gave up their life to live mine.
“That's why 1,000 hits for me means a lot, because I came here as a defensive replacement guy just to fill a spot,” Rojas added. “Not many people thought that I was going to have an opportunity to play this long in the game. I never let anybody put a ceiling on top of my head. I kept going through those ceilings they put above me.”
His coaches and teammates left no doubt about how much it meant to share the moment with Rojas.
“He's done a lot of good things in this game, so for him to get it was a huge thing for him,” Roberts said.