While the Los Angeles Dodgers have a National League-best 19 wins this season, there have been multiple players who are yet to meet expectations. Chief among them is Chris Taylor, who has been in a rut since Opening Day.
In some sense Taylor’s struggles are an extension of 2018. After a breakout campaign with the Dodgers in 2017, he regressed last season and though he managed to be a productive player by some metrics, Taylor led the NL in strikeouts.
Now filling a utility role, Taylor found himself called upon in a key moment during Monday’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants. With the Dodgers down to their final three outs and trailing 3-2, Taylor pinch-hit for Alex Verdugo to lead off the ninth inning.
Will Smith struck him out on three pitches and proceeded to strand an Austin Barnes’ base hit to convert the save. Following his club’s loss, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained why he opted for Taylor in place of Verdugo, via SportsNet LA:
“It was just more of you’re down a run, Will Smith is obviously a very good pitcher and had a great year. He’s been really, really good against left-handed hitting. So to have two right-handers on the bench with no Pollock available, any one of those guys could’ve tied the game up. So I think you’ve got to give yourself the best to tie it up.”
There was some belief that Verdugo perhaps had been injured after fouling a pitch off his leg in the seventh inning. Verdugo wound up leading off with single but limped a bit when on the bases. Roberts clarified the Dodgers’ top prospect was indeed healthy.
That could not be said for A.J. Pollock, who was unavailable because of an infection in his elbow that will likely require a stint on the 10-day injured list. Thus, Roberts was down to Taylor and Russell Martin off the bench in the ninth inning.
Martin pinch-hit for Joe Kelly, and with Taylor already used, it left Joc Pederson to face Smith. Pederson singled off Tony Watson earlier in the game but struck out against Smith, adding another layer to the debate over his opportunities to face left-handed pitching.
Comparatively, Verdugo is 4-for-11 with one double, two triples, one home run and four RBI against left-handers. Smith also has reverse splits this season, and another option potentially available would have been to allow Verdugo to bat and save Taylor or Martin for Pederson.
Though, there was no guarantee his spot would come up, and thus Roberts opted for what he perceived to be the best bet.
