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Should the Dodgers move Betts down in the lineup?
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have hit their stride of late, winning 18 of their last 24 games to build a sizable lead in the NL West as we near the halfway point of their regular-season schedule.
The back-to-back champions have done this despite injuries to key players and underperformance from some of their stars, so I figured now would be a good time for a mailbag. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions, which have been lightly edited for clarity. Let's get into it:
Do you think it’s time to seriously consider moving Mookie Betts down in the lineup? His production has been very sporadic and he’s been truncating rallies, especially when he hits in front of Kyle Tucker.– Manuel D., Fresno, Calif.
Dodgers mailbag, Part 2: Mookie Betts’ struggles, the plan for second base and more
Can Mookie Betts rediscover the offensive form that made him a superstar? As long as he's solid enough at shortstop, he won't have to. Yuichi Masuda / Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers are back on the road, and your Dodgers beat writers (Katie Woo and Fabian Ardaya) are back with Part 2 of our subscriber mailbag.
The Dodgers face the Pittsburgh Pirates for three games before departing for the South Side for a three-game interleague set versus the Chicago White Sox. For a club that has yet to fully find its stride offensively, things are still pretty good in Dodgers Land. Los Angeles is 18 games over .500 and owns a comfy 7 1/2 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. Still, perhaps the top of the order can start producing more consistently, starting with the player named in our first question.
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Dodgers’ Dave Roberts explains eye-opening Mookie Betts lineup decision
Dave Roberts explained his reasoning for putting Mookie Betts on the leadoff spot in the Dodgers' series finale vs. the Diamondbacks.
On Thursday night, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to shake up the lineup order in the final game of a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Typically over the past few seasons, the Dodgers have utilized Shohei Ohtani as the leadoff hitter. But Roberts switched it up, instead deploying Mookie Betts to lead the lineup with Ohtani having the day off after shutting out the Diamondbacks on Wednesday in a 7-0 win.
The lineup order scarcely mattered for the Dodgers, as they ended up running into the buzzsaw that was Ryne Nelson on the mound. Nelson threw seven innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits. Betts, in a new leadoff role, went 0-4, as his struggles at the plate continued.
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