How Dodgers’ lacking lineup depth was exposed in | College News

ATLANTA — The Dodgers had the fitting runner on base, but the unsuitable matchups at the plate.

And, in a signal of what’s maybe been their greatest roster vulnerability early on this season, supervisor Dave Roberts had no method to alter the scenario.

After trailing by 4 runs to the Atlanta Braves early on Sunday night time, the Dodgers positioned themselves for a potential comeback in the highest of the ninth.

With the deficit down to one, Andy Pages stayed alive in a two-strike depend for a leadoff infield single. Rookie speedster Hyeseong Kim then entered the sport as a pinch-runner and wreaked immediate havoc on the bases, stealing second off Braves nearer Raisel Iglesias before daringly dashing to third when a dropped third strike was being thrown to first.

“That was great,” Roberts stated of Kim’s pace on the bases. “That was exciting.”

In a 4-3 loss to the Braves, however, the Dodgers left him stranded 90 ft away.

Infielder Miguel Rojas got here up and fanned on three straight changeups. In the next at-bat, backup catcher Austin Barnes chased a two-strike slider that was down and off the plate, ending the sport with a strikeout as Shohei Ohtani loomed on deck.

It was a reminder that, for all the strengths the Dodgers have constructed with their $400-million payroll this yr, the depth of their offense has thus far been a weak point.

Which is why, in the 2 most important at-bats of Sunday night time’s recreation, Roberts had no different alternative than to let Rojas and Barnes — in right-on-right matchups that have been all the time unlikely to achieve success — step up to the plate.

“We put ourselves in a great position,” Rojas stated. “Kim did an amazing job coming off the bench, stealing that bag. And I couldn’t deliver.”

On the entire this season, the Dodgers’ lineup steadiness hasn’t been a lot of a drawback. The superstars at the highest of their order have regularly heated up after comparatively sluggish begins. An offense that slumped through a lot of April now ranks third in the majors in scoring.

Still, the underside half of the group’s batting order hasn’t been productive. Entering Monday, the group still had 4 hitters batting .200 or worse. Six have been caught with an OPS below .700. Even with current enhancements from the likes of Pages and Max Muncy, the membership’s .211 batting average and .647 OPS from the Nos. 6-9 spots in the order ranked in the underside third of the majors. And though they’re seven-for-16 in pinch-hit conditions, none of those knocks have come from a lefty.

In the massive image, it’s a drawback the Dodgers may have to monitor this yr.

Down the stretch of Sunday, they noticed just how pricey it may very well be.

Roberts first had to dip into his bench in the seventh inning, pinch-hitting Rojas for Michael Conforto as the Braves introduced left-handed reliever Dylan Lee into the sport.

Hitting for Conforto, the $17-million offseason signing the Dodgers have been anticipating a bounceback season from, is one thing Roberts acknowledged he didn’t anticipate to do a lot this yr. But after opening the season with a six-game hitting streak, the veteran slugger has been frozen in the deepest of slumps.

Since April 4, Conforto is batting a gorgeous .088, with as many hits (six, all singles) as double-play grounders. His two strikeouts earlier Sunday — both wanting, a surprisingly common prevalence for him early this yr — left him 0 for his final 29.

“He’s grinding,” Roberts stated. “I just felt that Miggy had a better chance in that moment.”

That transfer labored, with Rojas capitalizing on the right-left benefit for his first home run of the season; and second pinch-hit homer from any Dodger this yr.

But when Rojas’ spot got here back up in a far much less advantageous matchup against Iglesias in the ninth, Roberts had no more playing cards to play.

Entering the ninth, Roberts had one main aim: Get beginning catcher Will Smith, who was getting a scheduled day trip of the beginning lineup Sunday, to the plate with a probability to have an influence on the sport.

After Pages’ leadoff single, Roberts pulled the set off. Rather than wait for Barnes’ flip to come up later in the inning, he pinch-hit Smith for Kiké Hernández with one out.

Smith finally struck out, but not before Kim — who was known as up for his MLB debut yesterday after signing out of South Korea this offseason — had scooted to the opposite nook of the diamond with his steal of second base and aggressive break for third.

“That’s an instinctual play,” Roberts stated, praising Kim for studying catcher Drake Baldwin’s mushy throw to first on a dropped third-strike that practically modified the sport.

“For him to get the jump that he did and then to get over there to third base … that just shows that he’s got really good instincts.”

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they couldn’t advance him all the best way home.

As Rojas and Barnes got here up, the only participant left on the group’s bench was Chris Taylor, one other right-handed hitter who has taken a grand complete of 20 at-bats all season.

Roberts thought of calling for a squeeze bunt from Rojas, but was cautious of the Braves infield taking part in in.

“I just thought that Miguel could put the ball in play and give us a chance to tie the game up,” Roberts stated.

He couldn’t. Neither may Barnes. And as the sport ended, the Dodgers’ offensive depth issues grew to become all the more clear.

Most nights, of course, this is all unlikely to matter. But on any given night time, it may.

That’s why, as the Dodgers take stock of the first half of this season, lineup depth stays a main concern. On Sunday, it value them an alternative to steal a win from the Braves.