Get used to the ear-to-ear grin Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Kenta Maeda flashed for almost the entirety of his major league debut against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
We saw it before his second at-bat in the fourth inning. A late arrival to the on-deck circle prompted a Little League-like jog to the batter’s box. He beamed as he took his stance.
His lips widened even further moments later when he smashed a home run off opposing starter Andrew Cashner.
That homer came before Maeda gave up his first major league run. In fact, we’re still waiting for it after the Japanese rookie allowed five hits and no runs in six innings of work.
By the way, he also smiled when manager Dave Roberts told him his night was done.
“I was a little nervous at first,” Maeda told Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times. “But my teammates scored four runs for me. That really relaxed me a lot.”
Maeda’s debut was just the latest installment in an opening series in which the Dodgers have looked as good as any team in baseball. Not only did Los Angeles sweep the Padres, but it held San Diego scoreless in all 27 innings.
Sure, the streak has come against the Padres, who are likely to be one of baseball’s worst offensive teams. But it’s difficult to shut out any major league club over the course of three games.
The Dodgers take that streak, a franchise record to begin a season, into a four-game set with the division rival San Francisco Giants that opens on Thursday in the Bay Area.
But among a litany of positive developments in the Dodgers’ first series of the season, Maeda’s ace-like performance should draw the most applause. Prior to Opening Day, there were concerns about Maeda. He doesn’t have an overpowering fastball. That much was confirmed as the right-hander flirted with the low 90s all night.
But his complement of breaking pitches, which twist and turn like a roller coaster, preliminarily answered any questions about whether he had top-of-the-rotation stuff. Of course, he will have to consistently play to that level over several more starts.
As debuts go, however, the Dodgers couldn’t have asked for a much better outing.
And Wednesday’s performance put distance between the Dodgers and the memory of Zack Greinke, who spent three seasons in Los Angeles before signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason.
Ace Clayton Kershaw and Greinke had formed one of baseball’s best pitching duos, and Los Angeles had the money to sign Greinke. It has more cash than any MLB team, thanks to a multi-billion dollar television deal. But the Dodgers decided not to increase their offer for Greinke, allowing him to go to Arizona.
That left questions about who might fill the void.
But after Wednesday’s performance, one that saw Maeda allow only one baserunner through the first three innings, concerns over who will complement Kershaw could begin to dissipate.
After putting runners on the corners with one out in the fourth inning, Maeda induced two straight outs to pitch out of his most threatening jam of the night.
The Dodgers still have to overcome a litany of injuries to their starting rotation. Brandon McCarthy (recovering from Tommy John surgery) and Brett Anderson (herniated disc surgery) are on the 60-day disable list. Hyun-Jin Ryu is out after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.
Further performances like Wednesday’s by Maeda would help alleviate some concern while the Dodgers await the return of some of their starters.
While Wednesday night was about Maeda, the Dodgers have been baseball’s headliner this week. The entire team seems to be clicking. A season ago, hamstring issues limited Yasiel Puig to just 79 games. Questions about his commitment and attitude also followed him, underscored in this piece by Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller.
But through three games this season, Puig is hitting .600/.692/1.300. He has four RBI, a homer and two triples—just one shy of his triples total in 2015. Wednesday, he was on the steps of the dugout and enthusiastically cheering on his teammates. That should help abate any questions about commitment or clubhouse chemistry for the time being.
Three games is a small sample. Puig will need to prove he is a more committed teammate over the course of the next couple of months. But he seems to be on the right path, given his performance and demeanor these last three outings.
Rookie shortstop Corey Seager has been immune to the hype that follows baseball’s No. 1 prospect. He is hitting .357 with two RBI for a Dodgers team that has scored 25 runs in three games.
The team’s offensive performance has overshadowed its defense.
The Dodgers have committed only one error in 2016. That came Wednesday when Maeda overthrew first base on a bunt single by Padres third baseman Yangervis Solarte in the second inning.
“They didn’t really stress him at all,” Roberts said of Maeda pitching with runners on base, per McCullough.
So far, that’s all that hasn’t gone as planned for the Dodgers. Apparently, Maeda isn’t the only player who should be smiling.
Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Talk baseball with Seth by following him on Twitter @SethGruen.
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