MIAMI -- Friday was the kind of night Kyle Tucker had been waiting for in a Dodgers uniform.
Tucker delivered one of his best performances as a Dodger, going 3-for-3 with five RBIs, including the sixth grand slam of his career, to power Los Angeles to a season-high eighth win in row with its 6-2 decision over the Marlins at loanDepot park on Friday.
For manager Dave Roberts, the recent results have been a reflection of a change Tucker has made at the plate. Roberts said Tucker has cleaned up his bat path and is staying in the zone longer. Earlier in the season, Tucker wasn't staying on breaking balls and was getting underneath fastballs.
“Doc keeps putting me out there. [I’m] just trying to come out and do what I can every single game to try and help our team win,” Tucker said. “Whether it's on defense, baserunning, in the box. This team works really hard behind the scenes. … So, I just try and do my part in that. I'm just trying to get the wins for them.”
That continued trust from Roberts could be important for the Dodgers with October approaching if this version of Tucker carries into the postseason. With Friday’s victory, the Dodgers (90-57) could clinch a postseason berth Saturday if they beat the Marlins, the Diamondbacks (79-69) lose to the Rangers and the Padres (79-68) lose to the Giants.
“You see the swings getting some very good results, and he had a big night tonight, and you can just see him just freed up a little bit,” Roberts said. “He's been working hard this whole year, and he's been in it. And I give him a lot of credit for continuing to persevere, and expect the best of him to be at the end of the season.”
That adjustment paid off in the seventh inning.
With the bases loaded, the Marlins turned to lefty Cade Gibson, replacing Victor Vodnik, to face the left-handed-hitting Tucker. The outfielder saw two pitches before turning on a 79.5 mph sweeper up and in for his 14th home run of the season. He sent the grand slam a Statcast-projected 395 feet to right-center field, with the ball coming off his bat with an exit velocity of 103.8 mph.
Tucker knew Gibson would likely rely on his breaking stuff, so he was looking for something over the plate. Gibson left one armside, and Tucker got the most of it.
“It’s great,” Tucker said. “Especially in a close game and that could be the difference-maker in getting the win, so I was just happy.”
Tucker first put the Dodgers on the board with a sacrifice fly to left in the top of the third, with Tommy Edman -- who drew a walk to lead off the inning -- crossing home plate.
“Always good to get a hit, but as long as you can go up there, have a good at-bat, try and get a guy in,” Tucker said. “Like my second at-bat today, guys did a great job getting first to third. Mookie [Betts] got the guy over to third, and then got the sac fly right there. Just having competitive at-bats and doing your part, whether it results in a hit or not, and just trying to hit the ball hard.”
In the top of the sixth, Tucker hit his fourth triple of the season, sending a 80 mph sweeper from starter Ryan Gusto to right. Will Smith then singled to right field, allowing Tucker to score, giving the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
“Right now he’s in a great spot mechanically,” Roberts said. “Now with the confidence that he has with his swing … it has happened quickly. I know that the hitting coach has kind of unlocked something with Kyle, and it's just good to see it translate that quickly. Because most of the time, things like that take a while -- you know, 15, 20, at-bats -- but it kind of happened overnight with the results. So, really happy to see that.”
The four time All-Star is slashing .230/.326/.375 with a .701 OPS after signing a four-year, $240 million contract in January. But as the Dodgers head toward the postseason, Tucker isn't focused on what his numbers say now.
“We got a lot of important games coming up next month,” Tucker said. “So just trying to finish up the season strong and just get to that point, try and win games … [when the] playoffs come around. All that really matters is getting the win. So it doesn't matter if you get a hit or not. As long as you win the game or kind of contribute in some way, that's all you can really try and do.”