James Outman breaks his slump with a home run in the Dodgers' win over the Twins

After two consecutive days out of the starting lineup and then two consecutive strikeouts to start Monday night's game, James Outman's season-opening slump had bottomed out in the start of the seventh inning at Target Field.

Then, with a hanging slider and a cathartic swing, the Dodgers' second-year center fielder finally found reprieve.

In a 4-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins, it was Outman's solo shot that gave the Dodgers the lead for good, a 353-foot fly ball that traveled just high enough to clear a high wall in the right field corner.

Offensively, Outman didn't have the best night, not after Shohei Ohtani posted his fifth straight multi-hit game, doubling twice early and hitting a home run later in the seventh inning for the third time this season.

Read more: From cricket bats to sunflower seeds: How Shohei Ohtani's comfort (and playing comfort) improves

Still, Outman's contribution after a four-for-34 start on Monday may have been the most important development – not just in the final result but also in the trajectory of a slow start to his second big league season.

“It felt good to see a ball land,” said Outman, who was robbed on several hard-hit balls in the first few weeks. “It’s still pretty early in the season, so it feels a little early to freak out. But yes, it’s definitely a start in the right direction.”

A year ago, Outman was a standout player in the Dodgers' revamped outfield. Replacing Cody Bellinger at center, he was named National League Rookie of the Month in both April and August. He finished the season with above-average marks in the field (where he was in the 90th percentile in Fielding Run Value according to Baseball Savant) and at the plate (with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .790).

He was not immune to extended rookie struggles, including a .229 batting average from May to July. Still, he found a way to maintain his status as a starter on a star-studded team.

“If there was a time to panic, it was last year, and he didn’t,” manager Dave Roberts said of the former seventh-round draft pick. “It’s very helpful for us and especially for him to know that he can get to the other side.”

That's why, when Outman faced two left-handed opposing pitchers at Wrigley Field on Saturday and Sunday, he didn't think about his poor start or drastically alter his powerful but strikeout-prone swing.

Instead, he enjoyed “the luxury of being able to think more about his swing or mechanical things,” he said.

Did this lead to any major revelations?

“No, not big ones,” he said, laughing. “Just tinkering.”

The adjustment was not immediate.

In his first at-bat Monday, Outman threw three fastballs to the edge of the strike zone.

Read more: Yoshinobu Yamamoto's MLB transition, which continued with the Dodgers' victory over the Cubs

The next time he was on the pitch, he struck out three pitches and swung a fastball over the middle of the plate.

“He’s in the middle of it right now,” Roberts said. “He ground.”

Then suddenly he wasn't anymore.

With the score tied at 2-2 heading into the seventh, thanks to a strong six-inning, two-run start from veteran left-hander James Paxton, Outman got the full count on the first at-bat of the inning.

The 2-and-2 offering was a low slider from Twins reliever Jay Jackson. The payoff pitch was another slider, but this time it got stuck right in the middle.

Read more: ⚾ Dodgers Twins box score

With a sky-high swing, Outman launched the ball on an arcing 42-degree trajectory normally too high to support a major league fence. But even on a clear April night, the 26-year-old managed to find the front row of seats.

“It definitely relaxes you more,” he said, “when you see balls landing.”

From then on, the Dodgers (9-4) never looked back.

Ohtani, who had already doubled twice early in the game, went deep three batters later and had 11 hits (including eight for extra bases) in his final 22 at-bats.

The back end of the Dodgers bullpen also delivered. Ryan Brasier, Daniel Hudson and Evan Phillips each held the Twins scoreless in the final three innings (3-5).

“We were solid and pretty seamless,” Roberts said, comparing the performance to an error-filled loss the day before. “It was nice to see us come alive later in the game.”

The Dodgers may have a new superstition to thank.

After watching Ohtani swing a cricket bat during a rain delay on Sunday, then return to the field and score a couple of extra-base hits when play resumed, Outman decided to do the same on Monday.

“After I saw Shohei score two goals, I swung the cricket bat [pregame]” he joked afterwards.

So is the flat, rectangular paddle the Dodgers' new secret weapon?

“I think if it works for Shohei,” Roberts said with a laugh, “it should work for anyone.”

Even the second grader sleeping in the middle of the early part of the season.

“Hopefully this is a sign of more to come,” Roberts said of Outman. “But I know he makes an effort every day to work through some things.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.