Don Mattingly: Dodgers’ defensive turnaround, daily drills “a coincidence.”

During a homestand in late May, when the Dodgers were hosting the Reds, Pirates and White Sox, infield drills became a regular occurrence each afternoon at Dodger Stadium. They were pre-planned, but they were beneficial At least one infielder, Dee Gordon, said at the time that the drills helped.

A month later, the stats would agree.

Through May 24, the Dodgers ranked third in baseball with 42 errors. Since May 25, the Dodgers’ eight errors are the fewest, tied with the Seattle Mariners through Thursday. Their .993 fielding percentage as a team ranks first and only two unearned runs have scored.

Compare those numbers to the start of the season (.978 fielding percentage, 28th in baseball, and 30 unearned runs in 50 games) and it’s clear something has changed.

Here’s what Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said about the late-May turning point:

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.