Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Grandal finds way to be productive despite pain

LOS ANGELES -- Analytics don't measure the degree of pain Yasmani Grandal has been playing through.

So Grandal didn't seem to care as much about ending his 0-for-36 slump with a pair of singles Monday night than the new batting stance that allowed him to do it without irritating his injured left shoulder, one of many positives to come out of the Dodgers' 4-1 win over the Rockies.

"I've been in pretty bad [slumps], last year I think I was 5-for-77," said Grandal. "I don't really get into that, I know I'll get out of it at some point. This was more of a confidence builder that I've got a batting stance that doesn't put so much strain on my shoulder and I've got my legs back under me and knowing my shoulder is OK."

Grandal also drove in the first run with a second-inning sacrifice fly and lined out to left field, four hard-hit balls on a night when another Justin Turner RBI was overshadowed by the play of rookies Scott Schebler and Corey Seager, the former slugging a two-run insurance homer in the eighth, the latter still on fire with a double, single and run scored.

"These new kids coming up from Triple-A, it's kind of fun to watch them grow a little bit," said Grandal.

Schebler, who has three home runs in 23 big league at-bats, started in place of Carl Crawford, who was given an extra day to rest a tight hamstring. After drawing an intentional walk, Schebler struck out twice before the homer, a towering bomb to right.

"It couldn't get much worse than the first couple at-bats," he said. "I was taking stuff right down the middle and swinging at stuff in the dirt. I pretty much told myself to calm down. A.J. [Ellis] has helped me a lot. He said if you're ever in a moment like that, just try to count your breaths. All the guys have been amazing as far as bringing me in."

Schebler said he doesn't mind being the "under-the-radar" rookie on a team that has Seager.

"He deserves all the attention he's getting," Schebler said of Seager. "Just look at what he's doing."

OK. In his Dodger Stadium debut on Monday, Seager had his fifth multi-hit game in an 11-game career. He doubled to set up the first Dodgers run and singled in the eighth ahead of Schebler's homer. Seager is batting .432 with seven RBIs, six doubles, eight walks and a 1.239 OPS.

Seager said he might have an early advantage against unfamiliar pitchers as he fills in for injured shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

"There' still learning me and I'm still learning them," Seager said. "Right now I'm getting pitches I can handle and they're falling in. I imagine soon they'll start changing and I'll have to make the adjustment."

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com.
Read More: Los Angeles Dodgers, Yasmani Grandal