Dodgers snap basestealing drought
Kendrick swipes second to end 23-game stretch of futility
LOS ANGELES -- In a 2-1 loss to the Mets at Dodger Stadium on Friday, the Dodgers snapped a franchise-long drought for stolen bases.
When Howie Kendrick swiped second base in the sixth inning, it snapped a streak of 23 consecutive games without a stolen base for Los Angeles. The last time the Dodgers stole a base was June 7, when Andre Ethier swiped his first base of the season and during the drought, the Dodgers were 0-for-6 in stolen-base attempts.
The Major League record since 1900 for consecutive games without a stolen base is 33 games, set by the 2011 Cardinals.
The Dodgers are last in the Majors with 15 stolen bases, nine behind the Chicago White Sox, the second-worst team. Los Angeles has a 41.67 stolen-base percentage, which is more than 10 percent worse than the White Sox's second-lowest mark and nearly 30 percent lower than the MLB average of 68.74 percent.
Last season, the Dodgers were second in the league with 138 stolen bases, headlined by former Dodgers second baseman Dee Gordon, who has 64 stolen bases for the Marlins.
This year's squad has relied on power -- Los Angeles' 103 home runs lead the National League -- rather than speed. The team leader is Jimmy Rollins, although he's been caught more times than not: six stolen bases in 13 attempts. Kendrick is the only player on the squad with multiple stolen bases to have a conversion rate of over 50 percent; after Friday's stolen base, Kendrick is 3-for-5 on the season.