MILWAUKEE — Yasmani Grandal’s walk-off home run Sunday didn’t just give Los Angeles a much-needed 13-inning victory, it also went a long way in relaxing the young catcher, who admitted to pressing a bit in his first season with the Dodgers.
He certainly was relaxed Thursday, when he went 4-for-4 with two walks, two home runs and a career-high eight RBIs in the Dodgers’ 14-4 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.
“It was a pretty good day for him,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. “It was good. He’s been swinging the bat well for a few days now.
“It seems like he’s kind of caught fire. A couple days before, he had the home run in LA. Hitting a ball like that is big for guys that come to new clubs. They kind of feel like they’re part of it all of a sudden, part of this group and he’s stayed on a roll from there. Hopefully he keeps it going.”
To get Grandal, and others in his lineup, going, Mattingly shuffled his lineup and Grandal ended up in the No. 2 spot. The move seems to have worked because in six May games, Grandal is hitting .600 (12-for-20) with two doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs.
“It’s a new team and I want to do good,” Grandal said. “I understand that last year, RBIs wasn’t a big thing for me. I wanted to get those RBIs so I was pressing a lot. Every time I got a good hit it was straight at guys. I guess it was a good move to change the lineup a little bit.”