Teoscar Hernández was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the series finale against the Atlanta Braves on Mother’s Day, marking only the fifth game he has missed all season. Alex Call instead got the start in left field.
“Just a day off,” manager Dave Roberts said of Hernández not playing on Sunday. “I played him a lot on the road, he’ll play all the games against the Giants coming up. I just want to get Alex in there. I think he’s taking really good at-bats, and to kind of get his energy in a day game, I like that infusion.”
Hernández is in the midst of a disappointing season at the plate as he’s hitting just .238/.317/.365 with four doubles, four home runs and 17 RBI through 35 games.
“I do see certainly the timing is off,” Roberts said of Hernández. “I think one thing is he hasn’t hit lefties like he has in the past.
“I think he’s certainly missing pitches that he should hit. He’s fouling them off, whether they’re spin or fastballs. I think he’s a little too passive at times, getting behind a lot early. It’s hard to hit 0-1. So I think the mechanical piece, the approach piece, there’s some things I know he’s trying to figure out.”
Hernández, who recently admitted that his timing is not where he wants it to be, has also uncharacteristically struggled against left-handed pitching. The 33-year-old has put up a .710 on-base plus slugging with only two extra-base hits in 39 plate appearances against southpaws thus far.
Hernández’s offensive woes is part of the Dodgers’ broader offensive struggles over the last two weeks or so. It’s a stretch that has seen the team drop seven of their last 11 games entering play Monday, scoring two runs or fewer in seven of them.
Teoscar Hernández losing starts to Alex Call?
Whereas Hernández has not performed up to standards, Call is quietly having an excellent season at the plate. He’s batting .308/.438/.410 with four doubles and four RBI in 18 games, with most of that production coming against left-handed pitching.
Roberts said that Call could get more playing time in left field as Hernández tries to work through his slump.
“Yeah, yeah,” Roberts noted. “I think it also just gives him a chance to work some things out. Also, Alex has earned more playing time.”
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