For a team as well balanced offensively and defensively as the Los Angeles Dodgers, they can afford to experiment with moves in the batting order in order to rediscover that powerful nine that was capable of stringing together six to 10 wins in a row. Currently, they cannot have a streak of two wins without a loss. Since July 3, the reigning MLBchampions have been able to win three games in a row.
That’s why Dodgers manager Dave Roberts switched Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts in the batting order once again, essentially giving up on the experiment of having Betts as the leadoff hitter. The shortstop is going through the worst slump of his career and Roberts tried to move the three-time champion to his most comfortable role: leadoff hitter. The switch didn’t work: he hit .186 in 11 games while batting first in the order.
Dave Roberts will play it safe with Shohei Ohtani as leadoff
Although at the start of the second half they have a record of seven wins and eight losses, it has been much better than the end of the first half where they only had three wins in 10 games. Now, Roberts is moving Betts back to second in the lineup and putting the ever-dominant Ohtani as leader. “It’s just about trying to figure out what’s best in the short term,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
The good news for the Dodgers is on the horizon. Max Muncy will be back soon. Will Smith obviously doesn’t play every day as a catcher. But today, without Teoscar Hernandez, the Angels manager feels this was the best lineup. And that’s how he feels right now. All season long, Betts is hitting .235/.306/.361 with 11 home runs. His WAR remains a solid 1.3 thanks to his defense, but in terms of run creation, he’s below replacement level more than halfway through the season.
Mookie Betts owes Dodgers fans and team
His batting style remains solid, but he doesn’t hit the ball hard enough on a regular basis. Hopefully, with time on his side, Betts will be able to rediscover the swing that made him one of the best players in baseball, generating power from his small body. The Los Angeles infield knows that the postseason is two months away and with the National League West lead still up for grabs, they can still improve their performance.
This week they will have a double home series. From Monday they will host the St. Louis Cardinals, while at the weekend they will face the Toronto Blue Jays. These will be six important games for Dave Roberts and his team if they want to stay on top of the division, as the San Diego Padres are three games away from taking the honor.
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