Hernandez homers twice in win over Seattle

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Even three home runs in the 2017 National League pennant clincher didn’t relieve Kiké Hernández of the natural anxiety of winning a job when he came to Spring Training in 2018.

And after he did, he slugged a career-high 21 home runs with an .806 OPS. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Hernandez deserved to be in the conversation for team MVP. His game is no fluke.

“This is the first time I feel I don’t have to necessarily make the team,” Hernandez said after homering twice in the Dodgers' 2-0 win over the Mariners. “But everything else is the same. I’ve had a lot of struggles in my career and because of them I’ve become a better player, made a lot of adjustments physically and the way I prepare. I guess there’s a little sense of achievement.”

Hernandez said he’s always had this kind of power in his swing, even though his previous home-run high was 13 at Double-A in 2013 when he was in the Astros organization.

“I’ve always hit the ball really hard, even when I was 150 pounds,” he said.

“I think there’s more in there,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Not just power, but the quality of at-bats and the production. He’s very strong and the more he stays in the strike zone, the more power and production will be there.”

Maeda throws three perfect innings

Kenta Maeda was so efficient in three perfect innings on Saturday that he pitched out of the stretch in the third inning with no runners on base, just for practice.

After, Maeda said he was able to overcome falling behind in counts by executing pitches, expressing continued satisfaction in the way he’s able to handle left-handed hitters as his changeup progresses. Maeda rebounded from a shaky two-inning outing in his previous start, needing only 42 pitches.

“Result-wise, I was able to get the guys out,” Maeda said. “When I was behind, I threw strikes, hoping they would hit into outs. A lot of good takeaways today.”

Three of Maeda’s four strikeouts came against left-handed hitters. Last year, lefties had an .820 OPS against him, compared to .608 against right-handed hitters.

“The changeup (which he throws with a splitter grip) is a big part of it,” he said. “Just the fact that I have a changeup makes me feel like I can tackle lefties better.”

Worth noting

• Former first-round pick Gavin Lux is having throwing issues this spring. He spent time Saturday morning working with infield instructor Jose Vizcaino, but in the game overthrew first base after fielding a grounder in shallow right field.

• Donnie Hart, claimed from Baltimore on Thursday, threw his first bullpen session in a week after arriving in camp. Hart, a side-arming left-hander, took the place on the roster of Josh Fields, who was designated for assignment.

• Russell Martin, who caught Walker Buehler’s session, was scheduled to take four at-bats in a Minor League game and could play in the big-league game on Sunday after missing nearly two weeks with a sore lower back.

• When the Mariners inserted 19-year-old Cesar Izturis Jr. to pinch-run (he was thrown out stealing second base), it marked the first time Roberts had managed against the son of a former teammate.

Up Next

Julio Urias starts for the Dodgers on Sunday against Chad Bettis and the Rockies at Salt River Fields at 1:10 p.m. PT on MLB.TV. Also listed to pitch are relievers JT Chargois, Tony Cingrani and Dylan Floro, while Scott Alexander will pitch in a Minor League game.