Dodgers Attempt To Explain Offensive Surge At Dodger Stadium

After the departures of Hanley Ramirez and Matt Kemp, the Los Angeles Dodgers were expected to struggle with offense, specifically with power numbers.

Twelve game into the 2015 season and the team leads the National League in home runs and is riding a seven-game winning streak in which they have scored at least five runs every game. Adrian Gonzalez led the way the first week of the season, setting a record with five home runs in the first three games, but the Dodgers have received contributions from just about everyone on the roster.

Catcher A.J. Ellis says he hasn’t seen offense like this at Dodger Stadium via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:

I haven’t seen the ball fly at Dodger Stadium like it is this year. I hope they’re not talking about a humidor,” catcher A.J. Ellis said Sunday after watching an assault of 10 extra-base hits in a 7-0 win over the Rockies that extended the Dodgers’ win streak to seven games and concluded a sweep of the six-game homestand.

Ellis referred to the humidor used at Coors Field in order to try and level the playing field from the dry air.

Meanwhile, starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who has allowed six home runs at Dodger Stadium in three starts, has a theory for the offensive surge:

Not the pitcher’s park I envisioned,” said McCarthy, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract to pitch in a home park long known as home-run stingy.
“(Clayton Kershaw) has the theory about no dew on the dugout railing at night anymore. I don’t know if that’s right, but in past years you had to crush balls to hit them out of here. I feel like I’ve already seen more balls go for home runs that would have been falling for doubles. I wondered over the winter if they might have tried to compensate for the offense with harder baseballs.”

Whether it’s the players in the offense or harder baseballs, it’s clear the Dodgers aren’t missing Kemp and Ramirez as much as many thought.

Dodgers 2015 Spring Training – Brandon McCarthy