Andy Pages showed more than power in the Dodgers’ 8-7 walk-off win over the Rangers on Friday night. His four plate appearances offered a clear look at how a spring-training plan has turned him into a more complete hitter, not just a slugger.
Pages entered the game with a red-hot start to the season, batting .449 with a 1.256 OPS through 13 games. The bigger story was how he produced against Texas: he worked counts, used the whole field, and still delivered the kind of damage the Dodgers expected when he got a pitch to drive.
A spring routine built around discipline
Pages spent spring training in the Dodgers’ hitting lab at Camelback Ranch using the Trajekt Arc pitching machine in a structured 30-minute routine. He first spent 10 minutes reading pitches, then 10 minutes calling borderline pitches, and only then did he swing during the final segment.
That work was designed to sharpen his pitch recognition and reduce the swing-and-miss that once defined parts of his profile. Pages said the repetitions are helping now, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “You just can’t say enough about what Andy’s done.”
How Pages handled Kumar Rocker
Pages’ first two plate appearances against Texas starter Kumar Rocker showed why the adjustment matters. In the second inning, he stayed back on a slider and sent a hard ground ball through the right side for a two-out single.
The hit mattered because it came against a pitcher with premium stuff, and it showed Pages can now beat quality pitches without overswinging. Roberts said Pages has “adapted, evolved, adjusted in all fronts,” a message that reflects his growth as a hitter and as a center fielder.
Four plate appearances, four different answers
Pages’ night against the Rangers highlighted a more balanced approach at the plate, and each trip showed a different part of his game. He did not force much, but he still stayed ready to punish mistakes.
- Second inning: two-out single to right field on a slider.
- Fifth inning: six-pitch walk after working deeper into the count.
- Sixth inning: opposite-field two-run double off Robert Garcia.
- Eighth inning: two-run home run off Luis Curvelo.
That sequence was important because it showed both patience and damage. Pages saw 17 pitches in his first three plate appearances and swung only five times, which fits the more selective version of him the Dodgers want to keep developing.
Why the approach matters for the Dodgers
Pages is seeing more pitches per plate appearance than he did a season ago, and that shift is helping him fit the Dodgers’ style of offensive pressure. Entering Friday, he averaged 4.48 pitches per plate appearance, up from 3.78 a year earlier, which forces pitchers to work harder and raises the chance of mistakes later in at-bats.
His swing rate has also dipped to 47.9 percent this season from 53.1 percent previously. That does not mean he has become passive, only that he now waits more often for the pitch he can damage.
Roberts praised that balance and said Pages has “a different club to kind of attack any kind of [pitcher] or pitch.” That versatility has already made him more dangerous against both right-handers and left-handers.
What stood out against the Rangers
Pages’ sixth-inning double may have been the best example of his growth. With two runners on, he did not chase pitches he could not drive, even when the count reached three balls and one strike.
He stayed committed to his plan, took a backdoor slider, and then kept the bat through an outside pitch for a two-run double to the opposite field. Pages described the approach as trying to find “the pitch that I can do the most damage on,” a sign of growing strike-zone control.
The eighth-inning home run still showed his power ceiling. Curvelo twice challenged him in the zone, and Pages turned the second sinker into a 103.5 mph rocket that extended the Dodgers’ lead.
Why the early results look real
Pages’ offensive start is backed by more than a small hot streak. He is hitting the ball harder, he is seeing more pitches, and he is swinging less often without giving up his power.
That combination matters because it suggests sustainability rather than a brief surge. Pages also remains a threat to use all fields, and Roberts said he may be among the best in baseball at hitting line to line.
The Dodgers also know there is still room for refinement. Pages said the balance between patience and aggressiveness can be difficult, but he added that he feels better every day as he keeps working toward becoming one of the game’s more complete hitters.