Among the areas the Los Angeles Dodgers have experienced a drop off in over recent weeks is with Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenges, both in terms of overall success rate and situations to use the strategy. Because of that, manager Dave Roberts and Dodgers coaches are in the midst of implementing changes.
Andy Pages has been a primary culprit, though other batters are at fault for the Dodgers’ struggles well. After the Dodgers lost both ABS challenges in the early innings this week, manager Dave Roberts expressed his frustration and said there would be conversations with the team on needed improvement.
That was followed by Pages losing an ABS challenge in the first inning of the Dodgers’ next game. Though in that instance, Roberts took responsibility.
“I’ll take the blame on that one in the sense that I talked to Andy, and 3-2 is one of those things I said let’s kind of lock in on certain guidelines. Obviously the pitch wasn’t where he thought it was, but I’ve got to be more clear,” Roberts explained. “So that one was my fault.
“We’re working on it, and he’s learning. I’ve got to do a better job coaching him and the guys up on when to do it. Really, it’s the rule of a thousand. You’ve got to keep telling players 1,000 times if it needs to be. So that was on me.”
Dodgers changing ABS challenge strategy
When asked for further clarification on general guidelines being imposed, Roberts largely cited needing to have an understanding of the situation in order to determine if a challenge should be used.
“I think it’s more of guys in scoring position, later innings, 3-2 (count). I think players get emotional, because it’s their at-bat. But more importantly, it is a team at-bat,” Roberts said. “So losing a challenge certainly affects not only that particular at-bat but it also affects that people are more gun shy for quite some time to not lose that last one.
“So that has an affect as well. We’ve just got to keep talking about it and keep trying to get better.”
As a group, Dodgers batters have won 66 challenges, which ranks ninth-most. Their 52% success rate is good for sixth overall. Dodgers pitchers and catchers have 64 successful challenges, the fifth-fewest among all teams. Their 60% success rate is nearly middle of the pack at 13th.
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