It’s been another great few weeks for MLB Pack Pros in the National League West. San Francisco Giants left-hander Carlos Rodón and Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner are both continuing to make huge impacts for their teams as of late.
In San Francisco, Rodón is continuing to see large strikeout numbers in almost every performance. Just down the coast, Turner is continuing to contribute to his team’s run for the NL West division title.
Carlos Rodón, left-handed pitcher, San Francisco Giants
Rodón ended August on a bit of a sour note, giving up five runs in just four innings to the San Diego Padres with two strikeouts on the night.
Putting that start behind him very quickly though, he started off September with two straight double-digit strikeout wins, giving him the single-season franchise record for the Giants with 10 total so far this year.
Sept. 4 featured a matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies in which Rodón struck out 10 batters in six innings, allowing zero runs on five hits.
Five days later the southpaw was at it again, striking out 11 Chicago Cubs batters in 5.1 innings pitched.
Unfortunately it looks as if his Giants have fallen behind in their postseason run. While not eliminated already, San Francisco currently sits 29.5 games back behind fellow Pack Pro Trea Turner’s Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, and 10.5 games out of a wild card spot.
Trea Turner, shortstop, Los Angeles Dodgers
The story this week with Turner is no different than the rest of the season, as he continues to be a large part of the Dodger’s success.
Most notably in the last few weeks, he was responsible for three RBIs in Los Angeles’ Sept. 10 win over the San Diego Padres, bringing the number of wins needed to clinch the NL West down to four.
In that game, Turner went 2 for 4 with a triple and a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning, breaking the 1-1 tie and giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.
There’s also the two-run homer he hit in the first inning back on Sept. 3 in another series against the Padres, effectively sparking the Dodger’s offense and leading LA to the 12-1 win.
Turner also picked up four more stolen bases since Aug. 24, setting his total at 24 on the year and tying for eighth place in all of Major League Baseball.
He is currently slashing .304/.349/.480 throughout 2022, and if he continues this high level of play, he is sure to lead the Dodgers far into this year’s postseason.
Andrew Knizner, catcher, St. Louis Cardinals
It seems as if Knizner has cooled off again, as in seven appearances since Aug. 29, he recorded just one hit in 14 at-bats with two walks.
Defensively in the past few weeks, he was a part of probably one of this season’s weirdest double plays, caused by some baserunning mistakes on the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he also threw a runner out from behind the plate during that same game.
While the Cardinals may be hot, Knizner is not, as he’s been unable to capitalize on his small bit of success that was written about in the last MLB Pack Pros update.
