Forsythe draws a line on hitting
CINCINNATI — Life is not easy when you reside beneath the Mendoza line.
On June 6, Dodgers infielder Logan Forsythe sunk to .198. During the next two weeks, with the exception of a one-hit, three-walk outing in Cleveland, he ended every evening still hitting less than .200.
In the Dodgers’ 8-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, Forsythe appeared to show signs of recovery. He recorded his first multihit game in June.
He supplied a two-run homer against soft-tossing veteran Bronson Arroyo .It was his second home run as a Dodger, and it allowed him to feel the satisfaction of success after weeks of tweaking his swing.
“It’s been a long road,” Forsythe said. “I haven’t been in a slump for this long in a long time.”
One game will not resurrect his season. Forsythe still finished Sunday batting .200. But it was still a productive day in a season without many of those.
Little has gone right for Forsythe this season.
A misplaced fastball broke his foot in April. He spent a month on the disabled list. Upon his return, Forsythe lacked balance in his swing, manager Dave Roberts has said.
Roberts sounded encouraged after Sunday’s results. Hitting coach Turner Ward has worked with Forsythe about getting in a position to hit on time to make proper contact.
“He’s having much better at-bats,” Roberts said. “It’s bound to come.” Short hops
The Dodgers claimed outfielder Peter O’Brien off waivers from Texas and designated pitcher Jason Wheeler for assignment. O’Brien has batted .167 with six homers in the minors this season. Traded from Arizona to Kansas City before the season, O’Brien bounced from the Royals to the Reds to the Rangers. He will be assigned to triple-A Oklahoma City.