Manny Machado punctuated the frustration of his first month as a Dodger with a powerful but fruitless gesture. On Aug. 12 at Coors Field, after striking out to strand a pair of runners late in an eventual loss to the Rockies, Machado gripped his bat with both hands and snapped it over his thigh.
At that point, after 23 games as a Dodger, Machado was hitting .264 with two home runs and a .750 on-base plus slugging percentage. The production was useful, but well below the level the Dodgers expected when they shipped a five-prospect package to Baltimore to acquire the four-time All-Star.