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New York Times

Michael Conforto found a good night amid a brutal start: ‘It'll all click'

CLEVELAND — The big screen in left field at Progressive Field in Cleveland measures 59 feet tall by 221 feet wide and doesn't give you much room to hide. Especially if you're struggling. When Michael Conforto of the Los Angeles Dodgers looked up at the massive jumbotron before his first at-bat on Tuesday, he saw a .162 batting average that was second-worst in the major leagues. Then he collected a hit in his first at-bat against the Guardians, scalding a groundball through the left side of the shift for a single. Advertisement A more encouraging sign came in the sixth inning. Conforto worked a full count against reliever Hunter Gaddis and got the fastball he wanted. He did not miss it. Conforto got the type of contact he was searching for, smoking a fly ball to center field that carried out over the wall for a solo shot that took a weight off his shoulders. He hadn't hit a home run since April 5. Conforto couldn't hide his smile as he rounded the bases and returned to the dugout. Kiké Hernández and Teoscar Hernández each showered him with sunflower seeds. 'To hit a ball hard and see it leave the park, it's kind of everything that we've been working on,' Conforto said after the Dodgers' 9-5 win in which he went 2-for-3 with a walk. He had reason to relax, which he was reminded of throughout his trot. 'I heard Kiké as soon as I hit the ball, screaming,' Conforto said. Instead of the bounce-back season he was hoping for, Conforto's numbers have taken a nosedive. He's remained in the lineup nonetheless, a byproduct of the organization's $17 million investment in Conforto and the former All-Star's track record. He's produced at least a league-average offensive output by OPS+ in every season since 2016. Now, he's been one of the least productive full-time hitters in the sport. At some point, the production has to meet the expectations. Even the Dodgers acknowledge that obvious point. 'There's a point, yeah,' Roberts said. 'Production certainly warrants opportunity. I do feel his track record has given him a longer least, which he has earned.' So Conforto was in the lineup again on Tuesday, hitting seventh as he looks to get his season going again. His year started brilliantly: Conforto collected eight hits in his first 26 at-bats, with a pair of home runs and four doubles. Roberts' preseason optimism for Conforto appeared warranted. The slugger's batting line has cratered ever since. Advertisement 'Sometimes this game can be brutal,' Conforto said. The Dodgers have praised Conforto's work and repeatedly stressed how impressed they've been with how the 32-year-old has handled his struggles. That hasn't helped him crawl out of his nadir. As confounding as anything is that Conforto has actually hit the ball hard. His average exit velocity (90.6 mph) and hard-hit rate (46.5 percent) are his highest since his rookie season in 2015. But too many of those hard-hit balls have been pulled and on the ground, or hit the other way in the air. Just 13.9 percent of his batted balls have been pulled in the air, the lowest of his career, and hardly good enough to maximize that contact. It explains why Conforto's expected metrics, like expected batting average (.210), still aren't all that high. That comes down to Conforto's bat path, a particular point of emphasis with the team's hitting coaches as they work with the veteran. Roberts said baseball rewards a good swing with a good bat path at a good pitch to hit. 'That's what I believe,' he said. 'So when you don't have a good bat path, players seem to be where you're hitting them. There's a reason Freddie (Freeman) has thrown out 2,300 hits and guys like Derek Jeter have 3,000 hits. I think they've had good bat paths. That's something I think that Michael's mindful of and just continuing to work through.' Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates noted that Conforto was 'cutting across' with his swing, not leaving him nearly enough time to make optimal contact. Conforto said he's seeking to take as many pitches as possible to work counts in the bottom of the order, but coaches have urged him to get more aggressive early in counts while emphasizing good pitch selection. They've also tweaked how Conforto makes contact, trying to get the barrel out in front and meet the ball earlier to make his hard contact have more impact. Things have improved of late. Advertisement 'I thought the swing looked much better,' Roberts said Tuesday. 'The bat stayed in the hitting zone much longer.' None of it translated into results until Tuesday. 'It's easy to say as a coach or another teammate or player, just trust your swing,' Bates said. 'It's harder when you're in the moment there.' Conforto said he's seen signs that something could be shifting. He noted a swing on Sunday night against the New York Mets, when he drove a curveball low and in from right-hander Max Kranick that he thought he'd normally swing over. Conforto pulled it in the air, and it left his bat at 99.5 mph. Juan Soto ran and leapt to track it down for an out. 'That's kind of just a flash of what I feel like is coming,' Conforto said. Eventually, he added, 'It'll all click, come together.' 'There have been a lot of things that have clicked, in a lot of the work we've been doing. It's kind of getting that to transfer onto the field.' Tuesday marked Conforto's fifth multi-hit game of the season. Three have come in the past 17 days. Conforto's still thinking that scoreboard will change. 'Even though the numbers you see up there are results, the results only come if you're focused and locked in on process,' Conforto said. 'It's definitely a part of the thing. But I've been doing it for a long time. Doesn't mean it gets any easier.' (Top photo of Michael Conforto: David Richard / Imagn Images)