The Los Angeles Dodgers are going through an unexpected rough patch. They have lost nine of their last 11 games and have seen their National League West division lead shrink to just 4.5 games. The Dodgers have lost 5 straight games to the Milwaukee Brewers, and five straight games at home. For one of Major League Baseball’s juggernauts in the Dodgers, wholesale changes may need to be made.
Third baseman Max Muncy went down with a knee injury about two weeks ago, and that could be a reason why the offense has struggled. The Brewers are catching the slipping Dodgers at the right time and have taken advantage of it. The Brewers are on a nine-game winning streak, and five of those victories have come against Los Angeles.
Dave Roberts Announces Mookie Betts Will Bat Leadoff
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced today that Mookie Betts will bat leadoff until the return of Muncy, which is kind of a surprise move. The Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani has hit leadoff in pretty much every game since he signed with the Dodgers at the beginning of last year. Dodgers reporter Fabian Ardaya broke the news today before the Dodgers close out the series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The good news for Los Angeles is that Muncy is progressing well with his knee contusion injury, and Roberts said he could be back as soon as a couple of weeks. So for Betts, who has struggled mightily this season, it will be interesting to see what he can do in a new role in the lineup. The move could also be an attempt to get Ohtani more opportunities with men on base.
Muncy went down with a knee injury on July 3rd, and since then, many Dodgers hitters have struggled. The lineup seems out of sorts and is struggling to find a rhythm since that injury.
Mookie Betts Has Struggled This Season
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ $350 million man, Betts, has struggled mightily this season. He has a career-low average and is on pace to have a career-low in OPS. Is moving him to the leadoff spot a good idea? Only time will be able to give that answer, but maybe a switch in the lineup will serve him well. Betts had made eight consecutive All-Star appearances before this season, when he was notably left off the roster. But again, Betts has struggled on offense this season, and he wasn’t necessarily deserving of an All-Star berth. He is going through a positional change as he has officially moved over to shortstop full-time.
It will be interesting to see how Betts performs in the leadoff spot, as that was his regular slot in the lineup before Ohtani. It will also be interesting to see how Ohtani adjusts to being beyond the leadoff batters for the first time as a Dodger.
The Dodgers are struggling on offense, so it makes sense that Dave Roberts is trying to flip things around and get one of his stars in Betts, going down the stretch.
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