The Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled to get production from the No. 2 spot in their lineup this season despite attempting to find a solution with several players over the course of the year.
Andy Pages has received most of the opportunities there since the end of May, and after struggling early on, he is starting to find success as the Dodgers’ No. 2 hitter.
Pages had one of his best performances out of the spot on Wednesday as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the Dodgers’ 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.
“I thought the approach tonight was very consistent,” manager Dave Roberts said of Pages. “I thought the at-bat quality was very good. And I think for me, it’s not trying to essentially just think about him individually or move him down. It’s more of what is going to be best for our team as we get closer to the playoffs.
“But again, tonight, I just loved how he took his approach tonight.”
Roberts did consider dropping Pages from the No. 2 spot in the lineup amid his struggles, but decided to keep him there and allow the young center fielder to work through his scuffles.
“Overall body of work, very good. I have thought about it,” Roberts said. … “I think the only alternative right now would be Tommy Edman), and I haven’t completely come to that point yet. But I thought about it. I do think that the overall body work, this is good experience for Andy in the regular season to be at the top of the order in his development for now and going forward.”
Since getting the show of confidence as the Dodgers’ second hitter, Pages has gone 5-for-8 with one home run, two runs scored and two RBI.
Andy Pages’ stats as Dodgers’ No. 2 hitter
In 52 games as the Dodgers’ No. 2 hitter this season, Pages is batting .258/.339/.432 with 12 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 23 runs scored and 25 RBI across 213 at-bats.
That’s a small drop-off from his overall production (.269/.335/.462), but it has been his least-productive spot in the Dodgers lineup. Still, it represents a significant upgrade over other players who have batted second at some point this season.
The Dodgers went into the year with Kyle Tucker slotted there amid expectations his neutral splits, power and speed would bode well behind Shohei Ohtani.
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