The Los Angeles Dodgers had a busy offseason that saw them acquire some of the top talent on the free agent market, and that put them into the category of a super team. So far, many of their players are going as expected, but some have been black holes on offense.
The Dodgers’ core four of Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith have all been producing at a high level, while Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández have been performing well also. But after that there is a steep drop-off in quality of at-bats and positive results.
The Dodgers called up Andy Pages to help spark the bottom of their lineup, but that group has still been lacking despite his production. Gavin Lux, Chris Taylor and James Outman have all failed to hit their stride, and it’s left a lot of runs on the field.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman knew the the top of the lineup would carry the load, naturally, but expects the bottom of the order to kick it into gear as well, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I mean, it’s going to be top heavy,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said of a lineup topped by three former MVPs. “But, no, I think we’re going to have length to our lineup. We’re looking at a 20-game sample. I’m confident that these guys will hit. Obviously at some point we’ll make decisions and figure it out as we go.”
Baseball is a game of failure and bad stretches at the plate are somewhat inevitable in this sport. Friedman is banking on the Dodgers’ track record of being able to figure their way out of that funk in the regular season:
“A decent chunk (of the blame),” Friedman agreed. “I also feel like there are (poor) stretches every year. Last year, we scored over 900 runs and we had this same conversation at one point. So I think some of it is the nature of the game, with the ups and downs. There’s a week period where we’re scorching hot with runners in scoring position and it feels like we’ll never lose a game. And then we’ll go a couple games where we’re not and it feels like we’re never going to win again.
“I think that is the nature of this sport. And for us, it’s about sifting through that as much as we can to make bets on what will happen in the future. We’re still collecting that information in order to make bets in the future – and I don’t just mean in ’25 and beyond. I mean, in August and September and so on.”
A resurgence from Gavin Lux could also go a long way to helping the Dodgers’ offense, but he has yet to show any signs of life. A former No. 2 overall prospect, the Dodgers have continued to give Lux every opportunity possible in the hope that he can find his way back to that level again.
Outman could also take the next step forward after last season, but he may be closer to Triple-A than doing that.
Dodgers pitching historically well
The Dodgers have gone 19 consecutive games allowing four runs or fewer, which set their franchise record, passing the previous mark of 17 games. When the offense struggles, the pitching has kept them in the game most nights, and that’s a credit to the talent they have, despite all the injuries.
Make sure to follow Dodger Blue on Instagram! It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
