Dodgers News: David Peralta Comes Up Clutch After Show of Faith from Manager
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks were knotted up at 0 in the top of the 8th inning of Wednesday night's game. LA loaded the bases with two outs, and David Peralta's spot was up in the lineup.
With a lefty on the mound, many people expected Peralta to get pinch-hit for, including the man himself (per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register).
"Oh yeah," Peralta said in response to if he thought there was going to be a pinch-hitter for him. "But when you look over at the dugout, (Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was) like, 'Yup, you got it'. That’s what I needed, his trust. He’s been giving it to me. I really appreciate that one."
Roberts trusted Peralta in that spot, and he delivered, coming through with a go-ahead, two-run single that turned out to be the only runs in the eventual Dodgers win.
After the game, Roberts explained his decision to keep Peralta in the game.
"They had (Miguel) Castro looming. So I’ve got to make a decision – do I want David to take that at-bat against (Kyle) Nelson? Or do I want Kiké to take that at-bat versus Castro?" Roberts said. "I just felt that David was in the game. He’s been hanging in there against lefties. I don’t think Nelson has a wipeout slider. I thought David’s gonna put the ball in play. So I went with it, and to his credit, he took a good at-bat and won the game for us."
It's always nice for a player when a manager trusts them, and Roberts made a great decision allowing his veteran to take that at-bat against his former team.
Peralta came through, and definitely got a jolt of confidence due to his manager allowing him to hit in that spot.
The Dodgers are going to need many more hits from Peralta over the next few months and into the postseason, so this was a great sign.
