When you look at Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez‘s stats from the just-concluded 10-game home stand, they are anything but impressive. The 33-year-old San Diego native went 2 for 9 against the Mets (.222), 4 for 15 against the Phillies (.266) and a dismal 1 for 11 against the Brewers (.090) for a combined 7 for 35 (.199). But a closer look at AGon’s numbers during the Dodgers’ 6-4 home stand is sure to put a smile on any Dodger fan’s face.

Although Gonzalez managed only seven hits during the home stand, five of them were home runs. He scored a total of eight runs, had 22 total bases and drove in seven runs while walking once and striking out five times; and any way you slice it, that’s really quite amazing – although AGon doesn’t necessarily see it that way.

“Five home runs and two hits?,” Gonzalez kidded after Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers in which he hit the game-winning come-from-behind two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the 3-2 Dodgers victory. “I guess I was hitting the ball up in the air. At least if I’m going to get very little hits it good that they’re homers.”

AGon’s game-winning home run on Sunday afternoon came on the fifth of five consecutive sliders by Brewers left-hander Will Smith. “Every home run I’ve got is against a hanging slider,” Gonzalez kidded.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Heading into the break, the (now) five-time All-Star is hitting .283 with a .355 on-base percentage and .520 slugging percentage for an impressive .875 OPS – 12th best in the National League. Gonzalez is second on the team in home runs with 18, two behind rookie sensation and fellow All-Star Joc Pederson. He has driven in a team-high 55 RBIs, ninth-most in the league, and his team-high 23 doubles are the fifth-most in the league and only three behind Reds third baseman Todd Frazier’s NL-best 26.

Gonzalez is clearly the team leader, this in spite of the fact that he is basically a relatively quiet guy.

“Oh he’s definitely a guy that’s not, you know, not a whole lot of… well, he talks, but not necessarily in the way that you all would think or in a leadership way from the standpoint that you’re supposed to be loud with all the guys,” said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly of Gonzalez. “Adrian’s more of a quiet guy and just does his thing and leads by example.”

The Dodgers head into the All-Star break with an MLB fourth-best 51-39 record 12 games over .500. They finished the (theoretical) first half going 33-17 at home and 18-22 on the road. They will resume play on Friday afternoon in the first of a 10-game road trip that takes them to Washington, Atlanta and New York with a 4.5-game lead over the Giants in the NL West.