Dodgers' Dave Roberts Tweaked Dalton Rushing's Swing Leading to Instant Results

A frustrating trend came to a gracious end for Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing on Saturday, whose home run against the San Diego Padres broke a five-game hitless streak.

The performance at the plate came at a good time, as his play behind the plate has drawn criticism, particularly for his miscommunications with pitcher Shohei Ohtani last Wednesday.

As Rushing continues to take over starting duties for injured catcher Will Smith, he told SportsNet LA that the home run signified an increase in confidence.

"I think we're starting to find our way, that small tweak, find our way back to comfort and in this game, Rushing said. "Comfort is really all you can ask for."

"From top to bottom, we all felt pretty comfortable."

Dalton Rushing discusses the confidence he gained from last night's homer, what Doc saw mechanically with his swing, and building rapport with the pitching staff. pic.twitter.com/YWmpA4NMnO
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 28, 2026

Rushing's day started with a walk and a groundout to second base before he was approached by manager Dave Roberts. To Rushing's surprise, the manager was holding an iPad.

Roberts took a look at the young catcher's swing, and offered a mechanical tweak. Then, Rushing hit a 399-foot home run.

"Doc comes up yesterday and it was something he sees. He saw something mechanically in my swing and pointed it out to me," Rushing said. "And a lot of guys are just like, 'He's not a hitting coach,' and it's just like he's watched a lot of baseball in his life. So, he came up, pointed it out to me and sure enough, the next at-bat [the home run] happens and I'm like, 'Are you a hitting coach, Doc?'"

DALTON. RUSHING. HOME RUN!!!

DODGERS LEAD 6-1. pic.twitter.com/gaRza09kmc
— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) June 28, 2026

Rushing, who had just two hits in his last 20 at-bats prior to Saturday, wasn't the only Dodger who had a much-needed strong performance at the plate. Kyle Tucker, who has struggled to live up to his four-year, $240 million contract signed over the offseason, went 3-for-5 and hit a home run just before Rushing.

"We love seeing him do that. We know he's capable of it, we know he's done it for however many years," Rushing said. "So, for him to have a day like he did yesterday, it's a huge step forward and we're all obviously excited for Tuck to be Tuck.

"And yeah, to follow him up like that, it gives you some confidence for sure. It was a good day yesterday, we felt pretty comfortable, I think, top to bottom."

Both Tucker and Rushing have seen their success trickle into the next few games. Tucker has gone 6-for-17 (.353) in his last four games and Rushing, who rested Sunday, is 3-for-9 with a pair of RBIs over the last two games.

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