LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Conforto smacked a sharp drive to left with two outs in the eighth inning Thursday, and he celebrated at first base while Andy Pages scored the tiebreaking run for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The big hit ended up deciding the Dodgers' 6-5 victory over the New York Mets. Yet it was much bigger than that to Conforto, who had done almost nothing worth celebrating in his dismal first season with the defending World Series champions.
“It’s been a grind up to this point, and all I want to do is go up there and help us win,” Conforto said. “In a lot of those situations, I’ve come up short. To be able to come through today was everything.”
Up until that big moment, Conforto’s first season with the Dodgers had largely been a disaster.
The left fielder is batting .167 with a .581 OPS, producing just three homers and 10 RBIs in 212 plate appearances. Before he drove in Pages, Conforto hadn't had a hit with runners in scoring position since March 31, going 0 for 30.
It’s not even close to what the Dodgers and their fans expected from Conforto, the longtime Mets outfielder who got a $17 million contract as a free agent last December following two solid seasons with the San Francisco Giants.
Los Angeles signed Conforto before Teoscar Hernández agreed to return, and Hernández subsequently moved from left field to right to replace Mookie Betts, who moved to the infield permanently. The Dodgers handed an everyday spot in their star-studded lineup to Conforto, and they expected him to provide the same steady offense he has produced throughout his career.
But since a six-game hitting streak to start the season, his production has plummeted.
Conforto went 24 days between RBIs in May, repeatedly failing to deliver when the Dodgers needed him. He was in a 5-for-42 slump with 13 straight hitless at-bats before his eighth-inning RBI single Thursday — and that was after a 4-for-63 skid that consumed nearly a month of play.
Conforto has been playing long enough to know that not even the loaded Dodgers will wait forever for him to get going. His teammates and coaches have praised his work ethic, but the veteran knows he has to end this season-long slump.
“It’s frustrating,” Conforto said. “It’s part of the game, it’s part of baseball, but there comes a time when you’ve got to start performing and you’ve got to start doing something for your team. Sometimes that makes it a little bit harder to stomach the bad at-bats, but you’ve just got to keep moving forward and keep working. That’s what I’ve been trying to keep my mind focused on.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has kept Conforto in his everyday lineup despite his ineffectiveness. Conforto has played in 56 of their 63 games, with Roberts and the front office resisting the urge to try anyone else consistently.
“He's feeling the love and the support,” Roberts said after Conforto's big hit. “He’s been going through it, so I think that it’s a huge exhale for him, hopefully. You get on the road and have a little bit of confidence, expect some good things to happen when he’s at bat. Hopefully we can look back and say this is the turning point for him.”
The Dodgers have kept chugging along atop the NL West despite Conforto's struggles — and despite 15 pitchers on the injured list making more than $100 million combined. Los Angeles won four of seven over the past week against New York's two powerhouse teams.
The Dodgers still have the majors' top offense in several categories despite the conspicuous lack of production from left field, with their three former MVPs all delivering along with Will Smith and a revitalized Max Muncy. While Conforto has been mired in his slump, Pages has improved dramatically in his second big league season, posting a .838 OPS with 39 RBIs.
And when Conforto finally got the job done Thursday, his teammates made sure to enjoy the moment with him.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, what you’re going through — for the guys in here, you’re a teammate, you’re a brother,” Betts said. “So whatever you’re going through, we’re all going through. I think it was huge, and I think he felt the love in that situation.”
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
