LOS ANGELES — The home run wasn’t a thing of beauty and was hardly a difference-maker, but it definitely marked the start of a trend. Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux reached out for a four-seam fastball from Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola on July 11 and lifted an opposite-field fly ball that slid just inside the left field foul pole and barely cleared the fence. Lux came into that game batting ninth and lugging a .
207 batting average, and his third homer of the season represented the only run for the Dodgers in their fourth straight loss, 5-1, at Citizens Bank Park . Lux was even lifted for a pinch-hitter in his next plate appearance, but that home run marked the turning point of an offensive onslaught by the second baseman that has carried on for six weeks. Hitting from the No.
5 spot, Lux belted his seventh home run in the past 33 games on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners. The solo blast to left-center field broke a scoreless tie and ended a 101⁄3-inning scoreless streak for the Dodgers, who went on to win, 3-0 . Lux’s OPS has climbed from .
562 at the All-Star break to .704 heading into Tuesday’s matchup against the Mariners. More importantly, he’s helped the Dodgers hold off the hard-charging San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks for first place in the National League West.
“We’ve needed every bit of that performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Lux’s contribution on Mo.