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Dodgers: A Deep Dive Into How Hitting Has Not Been Great For LA

These last couple of games have been tough for the Dodgers. Their hitting is not up to their regular standard. If the Dodgers want to succeed this season, this is going to have to improve. 

Recently, the Dodgers went up against the Atlanta Braves and it did not end well for them. Even Dave Roberts said that “it has been inconsistent,” when asked about how the team has been performing so far this season. 



So let’s start with talking about some of the players on this lineup. 

Mookie Betts (.258 BA), who has had an incredible career has not been hitting as well this season, with only 5 total home runs, while the highest number of home runs this season is at 18. Betts has been seeing the ball well, but he needs to step it up and start hitting dingers.

Related: Dodgers Insider Sounds Off on Mookie Betts Amid Season-Long Struggles

Justin Turner (.270 BA) is also a big part of this lineup and had an incredible start to the season. Turner hit 6 home runs just in the month of April. However, in the month of May, he only hit 3 more home runs, totaling just 9 so far. Although Turner is able to get on base and has been doing well so far, he needs to have another month like April to get the Dodgers out of their slump. 

On the upside, Cody Bellinger is back in action and even hit a dinger in his fifth game back. It’s definitely an advantage for the Dodgers to have one of their stars back, but since he has been out for so long, it will take time for him to adjust. 

Utility man Chris Taylor (.275 BA) has been having a really good season. But if this year is going to be the road to repeat for LA, then he is going to have to take this momentum and use it to his advantage. Taylor has had a total of 7 home runs this season. Finally, Gavin Lux (.238 BA) has had his time to shine with 5 homers so far. 

This season has been unpredictable for the Dodgers as they continue to go through highs and lows. This is the time for them to step up their game. These next few weeks will see LA playing some of the weaker teams in baseball, starting with the Pirates today, who are performing the worst in their division. So, hopefully, we should see improvements from the team soon. 

NEXT: Dodgers Remaining Schedule Ranks Out as One of the Easiest in MLB

6 Comments

  1. You can’t just focus on whether they are hitting dingers. Look at how they have refused to move runners over in extra innings. Look at all the runners left on base in those one run losses. Home runs are always inconsistent, No one short of Aaron or Bonds homers “consistently.” But If they were hitting more singles and doubles with runners on, they would have a dramatically different record.

  2. So frustrating to read articles like this…especially comments about Mookie Betts. He does not need to hit ‘dingers’, Mookie needs to hit the ball hard anywhere, get on base and use his legs and brains to score runs. Next time I see him hit a weak grounder to somebody in the infield I am going to have a conniption fit. Notice served to Lux too. Young man, you have had your runway. Take advantage or else!

  3. Mr Turner is having a great year and has won a few games himself with the bat. Keep up the great work. Taylor also is hitting the Baseball real good Keep it going

  4. Brenna; forget about “dingers”, that’s what causing all this inconsistency. Doc says he thinks? Going for dingers is causing a lot of swing & miss w/ runners on, sliced pop-ups, and pulling weak rollover groundouts. First , concentrate to get barrels on ball hit hard up the middle from gap to gap. CT3 did it well on the 14 pitch AB and resulted in 3 RBI’s ! Even he said “stay short and square it up the middle”. Also there’s nothing wrong going oppo against the shift, esp. w/ the 2 strike approach ( Belli doing it). Need more of Muncy’s approach…..swinging at only good pitches w/ that down top hand swing creating a line drive hit w/ backspin.

  5. At some point, you are what your record says you are. And Bellinger’s record says he is a great defender but a below average hitter who will occasionally hit homers. His defense alone warrants him being in the lineup. But he probably should be in the 8 spot. Unless Barnes is in the lineup. Then Bellinger can move up to 7th spot.

  6. Commenters above pretty much nailed it but I don’t like to get on individual hitters because they are just trying to do what the Manager has asked them to do. These guys approach their AB’s according to a strategy dictated by the manager and their individual skillset. They’re slow to change strategies when the team is winning most of its games.

    Someone recently wrote that the pitching is so good now that it is difficult to string a bunch of base hits together and score runs that way, so teams often opt out of small ball in favor of less frequent home runs. I think that’s who we are except we’ve had so much trouble beating the shift and consistently scoring runs that we are seeing a shift toward base hits with runners in scoring position and some much needed Oppo.

    Everybody knows Mookie has been in a funk but he’s swinging better and making more contact. Should work out eventually. Bellinger is essentially in “his” spring training but it appears he’s finally embracing going the other way and trying for base hits some of the time. He may learn to cut down on his swing with two strikes and pattern after Muncy a bit more. I’d bet Cody has the ability to hit for average but he’s in there to hit home runs with Team approval. Monitor his two strike approach for a bit I think it’s changing.

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