Maeda (8-6) struck out 13 while giving up only an earned run on two hits over seven innings in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Padres.
The 28-year-old was on another level Sunday, notching the best strikeout total of his first season stateside, and giving up only a single earned run for the fourth time in the last seven starts. Maeda missed plently of bats, tallying a whopping 24 swinging strikes overall, and retiring 14 of the first 15 batters he faced. He struck out Melvin Upton three times on the afternoon, and got Will Myers, Matt Kemp and Ryan Schimpf to whiff twice as well. If he can keep up the caliber of performances he's been putting forth in the season's second half, the Dodgers will be a force to contend with in October.