Dodgers Dugout: There's A Problem In The Dodgers' Lineup

Hi, and invited to different version of Dodgers Dugout. My sanction is Houston Mitchell. Will nan personification successful complaint please extremity turning up Earth’s thermostat. It’s lukewarm capable now.

There’s a problem successful nan Dodgers’ offense. Yes, they are adjacent nan apical successful astir violative categories, but, well, let’s spot if you tin spot it.

Batting average/OB%/SLG% by lineup position

Batting first: .275/.378/.522
Second: .229/.305/.348
Third: .273/.364/.457
Fourth: .262/.340/.445
Fifth: .247/.333/.406
Sixth: .273/.339/.464
Seventh: .264/.344/.447
Eighth: .269/.341/.410
Ninth: .265/.326/.402

One of those lines is not for illustration nan other. The No. 2 spot successful nan lineup has been horrible. And it’s not conscionable 1 person, it’s anyone they effort there. A look astatine each subordinate who has batted successful nan No. 2 spot this season:

Santiago Espinal, 1 for 1
Tommy Edman, 2 for 4
Andy Pages, .254/.336/.431, 238 sheet appearances
Kyle Tucker, .238/.330/.333, 97
Freddie Freeman, .213/.276/.263, 87
Alex Call, 1 for 5
Miguel Rojas, 1 for 6
Mookie Betts, .149/.196/.234, 51
Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1
Will Smith, 0 for 8

Wow. Everyone who has spent immoderate clip successful nan No. 2 spot is hitting worse than their wide numbers.

Last season, nan No. 2 position deed .259/.324/.418, which was chiefly Betts.

Let’s break retired nan 4 players who person nan astir appearances successful nan No. 2 spot this play and spot really good they deed successful different positions:

Andy Pages
Batting second: .254/.336/.431, 238 sheet appearances
Third: .167/.200/.167, 25
Fourth: .200/.292/.350, 24
Fifth: .222/.300/.500, 40
Sixth: .375/.394/.781, 33
Seventh: .271/.329/.414, 79
Eighth: .476/.500/.810, 22

Kyle Tucker
Batting second: .238/.330/.333, 97
First: .222/300/.556. 10
Third: .000/.111/.000, 9
Fourth: .263/.391/.395, 92
Fifth: .226/.329/.387, 73
Sixth: .225/.297/.326, 101
Seventh: .333/.412/.633, 34
Ninth: 0 for 1

So deed Pages sixth and Tucker seventh?

Freddie Freeman

Batting second: .213/.276/.263, 87
Third: .328/.421/.572, 273
Fourth: .288/.342/.452, 79
Fifth: .417/.417/.583, 12

So Freeman should bat third.

Mookie Betts

Batting second: .149/.196/.234, 51
First: .125/.125/.500, 8
Third: .179/.281/.429, 32
Fourth: .261/.326/.436, 181
Fifth: .250/.276/.464, 29

Betts astatine cleanup? Should nan Dodgers lineup be:

Shohei Ohtani
Tommy Edman
Freddie Freeman
Mookie Betts
Max Muncy
Andy Pages
Kyle Tucker
Teoscar Hernández
Dalton Rushing

Of course, present we are talking astir making changes to nan squad that is 4th successful nan fields successful runs scored per crippled (5.15).

But why does everyone autumn isolated successful nan No. 2 spot? Do nan pitchers relax a spot aft facing Ohtani and transportation amended because of it? Do they ore more? Is it conscionable nan randomness of baseball? We’ll ne'er know. But correct now, nan No. 2 spot is simply a weakness.

Editor’s note: Of course, correct aft I constitute this, Pages goes 5 for 8 pinch a double and a homer successful nan No. 2 spot. The randomness of baseball!

Where doesn’t it hurt?

We knew that Shohei Ohtani‘s near knee was still bothering him, but it turns retired his correct biceps is bothering him, too.

“My biceps is not 100%,” Ohtani said done expert Will Ireton while speaking to reporters. “Just [a] akin rumor pinch nan knee. Do we see pushing this? It is still July. So, I deliberation nan speech would beryllium a small different if we’re successful August aliases September.”

And nan longer Ohtani sits, nan much apt he will person to beryllium built backmost up arsenic a starter. Don’t expect him to travel backmost and transportation 7 innings correct away.

“You know, he’s a starting pitcher, and then, erstwhile you commencement missing three, four, 5 weeks of that build-up,” Dave Roberts said, “then you’ve sewage to benignant of commencement up again.”

Phil ‘The Vulture’ Regan dies

Phil Regan, who had 1 awesome and 1 bully play arsenic a alleviation pitcher pinch nan Dodgers, died earlier this period astatine 89.

In 1966 pinch nan Dodgers, Regan sounded successful 65 games and went 14-1, pinch a 1.62 ERA and a league-leading 21 saves. It was that play wherever he earned his nickname, “The Vulture.”

On Aug. 1, 1966, Sandy Koufax was facing nan Pittsburgh Pirates and near aft 7 innings pinch nan people tied, 1-1. Regan relieved him, and nan Dodgers scored 4 runs to triumph nan game. Afterward, Koufax said to Regan, “You’re getting to beryllium a existent scavenger. A vulture, that’s what you are.”

Regan went 6-9 pinch a 2.99 ERA and six saves pinch nan Dodgers successful 1967. He sounded successful 5 games for them successful 1968, going 2-0 pinch 3.52 ERA, earlier he was traded to nan Chicago Cubs on with Jim Hickman for Jim Ellis and Ted Savage.

Regan past sounded successful nan fields successful 1972 pinch nan Chicago White Sox, who released him successful July. His profession grounds was 96-81 pinch a 3.84 ERA and 92 saves.

He went connected to go a longtime pitching coach for respective teams and managed nan Baltimore Orioles during nan 1995 season.

He came retired of status astatine 82 successful 2019 to go interim pitching coach for nan New York Mets, saying, “Well, I emotion nan crippled and I emotion what I’m doing. I cognize I’m 82 years aged now, but I still bask it. I consciousness good. I’m going to discontinue 1 of these days, aliases die, I dont know. One aliases nan other.”

Scheduling note

The adjacent newsletter will beryllium delayed until aft nan waste and acquisition deadline truthful we tin talk what happened, aliases what didn’t happen, and spot what moves different postseason contenders made.

Up next

Friday: Boston (*Ranger Suarez, 4-3, 3.02 ERA) astatine Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Boston (*Payton Tolle, 6-6, 3.32 ERA) astatine Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-6, 2.72 ERA), 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Boston (*Jake Bennett, 6-4, 2.74 ERA) astatine Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 4-7, 4.95 ERA), 4:20 p.m., NBC, Peacock, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In lawsuit you missed it

Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman addresses Shohei Ohtani’s knee wounded and waste and acquisition deadline approach

Dodgers Debate: Trade deadline madness

‘Do we see pushing this?’ Shohei Ohtani’s return to nan mound remains unclear

Shaikin: The Dodgers’ three-peat chance whitethorn ne'er travel again. Trade accordingly

Dusty Baker’s peers expect him to go nan first Black head successful nan Hall of Fame

And finally

Vin Scully calls Game 1 of nan 1988 World Series. Watch and perceive here.

Until adjacent clip ...

Have a remark aliases thing you’d for illustration to spot successful a early Dodgers newsletter? Email maine astatine houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter successful your inbox, click here.