(This also could be used in context of a manger in the postseason about slumping players but I digress)
The Los Angeles Dodgers have, on paper, one of the most high powered offense in all of Major League Baseball. They may also have the most inconsistent.
Dodgers fans are well versed in the offense going flat once the playoffs roll around. Coaches and players swear it’s not the long layoff that comes with having one of the top two records at season’s end. But it has happened many times in that same scenario.
And this year, it’s happening more in the season also.
There are some contributing factors. Max Muncy has been on the IL since May 16, and since then the Dodgers offense 26th in runs scored, averaging 3.66 per game; 28th in OPS with RISP, dead last in OPS with any runner on, and 28th in hard hit rate.
With Muncy out of the lineup, the Dodgers have had a rotating cast covering third base. Chris Taylor, Kiké Hernandez, and Miguel Rojas all have gotten starts. We’ve previously discussed Taylor’s terrible start to the season. Kiké is batting a paltry .202, and Rojas is the best out of the group, hitting .267 with two homers.
Another factor, semi-related to Muncy being out, is that Mookie Betts has found himself in quite the slump. Betts was top of the leaderboard in most offensive categories to start the season.
Mookie entered Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates 1-for-25, and batting .236 with a .685 OPS over his last 32 games.
Manager Dave Roberts had this to say about the situation –
“I think the lazy, easy answer is because of his workload at shortstop. I just don’t buy that … I think this is one of those situations where, the world would wait for Mookie to start not staying hot, and say that’s why…I just want time to pass. I trust his work. I know he’s gonna hit. He’s gotten a lot better at shortstop. And we still got a first-place ball club. He’s still a pretty good player.”
Roberts thinks that Mookie is “just missing some pitches” lately, especially the inside ones he usually attacks.
If Muncy were in the lineup, presumably Mookie would be able to get more time at second base. Regardless, Mookie is too good a player to be in a slump for too long – but something to monitor as the season progresses.
Some fans are calling for a new hitting coach because the slumping offense is not a new phenomenon. Since Robert Van Scoyoc has become the hitting coach in 2019, the Dodgers offense has gone cold every playoff stretch. Even in 2020 when they won the World Series, they had to dig themselves out of a 3-1 hole in the NLCS.
As a team, they have seemed to take a much less aggressive approach. Roberts has stated that they seem to be waiting a bit too long to let the ball get a little deeper in the zone. This approach is not leading to the offensive fire power we all expect.
Watching the team in Pittsburgh this week, it seems to be affecting all facets of the game. The Dodgers didn’t score any runs in the series opener. James Paxton completely melted down in the second game, allowing seven runs in the second inning, a deficit the Dodgers could not come back from (although they did manage to chase phenom Paul Skenes in the fifth inning). And while they scored four runs in the first inning of the final game, they recorded three errors in the first three innings, stressing starter Walker Buehler who faltered some and allowed the Pirates to tie it up in the third inning.
The Dodgers did go on to have an offensive outburst, scoring 11 runs, but once again the defense didn’t help the pitching. Betts had two errors in the game. They hung on to win, 11-7.
No rest for the weary as the Dodgers now head into New York to take on the red hot Yankees. All three games will be prime time, with the eyes of the country watching to see if the offense is back on track, or was just doing well against less than stellar Pirates pitching.
I wouldn’t imagine anything drastic would be done soon, like firing Van Scoyoc. The Dodgers as an organization tend to give personnel very long, long runways. The offense is a rollercoaster. If nothing changes fans have to hope that they enter the postseason on a high.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
It’s time to release Taylor and play Vargas more. He’s capable of playing 3B ,2B and 1B as well as LF. After a slow start Outman is killing it at OKC so bring him back and send CT3 packing.
On the pitching staff as Miller returns Stone deserves to stay in the rotation. I’d trade Paxton. He really has been more lucky than good. But make sure Miller is really ready. He hasn’t done well rehabbing at A ball.
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be quite a stretch to blame any of this on muncy. Fact is, this is not such a high powered offence, when the bottom 3 (or4), are barely able to hit above the mendoza line. They got away with it the first month, when the top 4 were a high powered offense all by themselves, but they have regressed back to normal and we see the results. Thank goodness for the pitching. This is basically the same team we’ve seen for many years, with a upgraded pitching staff, Thank goodness for free agency.
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When Muncy was in a total funk last year, many commenters were calling for Andrew to get rid of him but he and/or Doc decided to just give him as much time as he needed and by later in the season he started to return to form.
I assume that they are also doing this with Lux, CT3 and Kike but if any or all of them don’t show some marked improvement by July, Andrew will make some deals. I don’t see any way he goes into October with this same back of the lineup hitting the way they are now.
Pitching is much much better than last year with Glasnow, Yamamoto and Stone pitching very well, Buehler still working his way back, Paxton somewhat hit and miss, Kershaw and Miller due back and possibly even May.
All in all, I like this team’s chances in the post season much better than last year’s.
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pitching has not really been a problem over the years, except Kersh of course. But the holes in this lineup right now, must be overcome or it will be same old, same old. Lux, ct3, Heyward and kiki are not Muncy, and that in itself is a very low bar. Pages and Vargas are yet to be determined, but must be given a chance. Nothing else on the farm that I can see.
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Most of our more promising prospects are quite young and still in the low minors.
I’d love to see Andre Lipcius get a shot at third base. He’s absolutely on fire at OKC and in the meanwhile we keep using Kike and CT3 to fill out the lineup.
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“Lipcius was a nuclear engineering major at the University of Tennessee, so it’s probably safe to say that he’s reasonably intelligent. Scouts like him for his patience at the plate, his ability to get on base and his bat-to-ball skills. While it’s tough to say exactly where Lipcius fits into the Dodgers’ long-term picture, a good general assessment could be that his defense might be an upgrade over Lux but not as solid as Rojas.
Similarly, his offense could be an upgrade over Rojas but not as threatening as Lux. As a righty hitter, his skill set almost lines up with Hernandez, aside from being seven years younger.
Lipcius’s MLB experience so far consists of 38 plate appearances over 13 games with the Tigers in 2023 with a .286/.342/.400 slash line. Defensively, he has seen time at all four infield positions.”
https://thinkbluepc.com/2024/03/09/dodgers-2024-roster-a-closer-look-at-andre-lipcius/
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I’ve actually been surprised at how well Lux has performed defensively this year, and disappointed in his production on offense.
At the very least I think Lipcius deserves a chance to show what he’s got. If not, do him a favor and trade him to a team that will let him play at the MLB level.
I would also trade Rushing this July (or sooner). We have needs and there doesn’t seem to be a spot for Rushing, who can play catcher (Smith), DH (Ohtani) or 1B (Freddie). His trade value is high right now. Instead of holding on to him while his value declines (see Cartaya, Diego), get something for an asset that you won’t be able to use any time soon.
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when I said nothing on the farm, I should have said, to help the team in the immediate future. Young guys in the low minors are just a crap shoot. Always been a believer in bringing up the young guys and seeing what they’ve got, as against a bench of over the hill veterans. Why in the world do we need both ct3 and kiki on the team. One is enough. We know from experience that our prospects just don’t make it to the big team, so let’s find out early. You should always have room for 2 prospects on a team that includes ct3, kiki etc etc etc.
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We absolutely don’t need both CT3 and Kike. Some might say we don’t need either of them.
Speaking of young guys, I have no idea why they bothered to invest in a plane ticket for Vargas just to have him sit on the bench.
If you think he’s a player, let him play and see what you have. If you want to trade him, keep him at OKC where he was raking. Having him here and sitting most of the time, destroys his confidence and reduces his trade value.
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yup. Nothing like calling your best prospect up, then sitting him in favour of 2 over the hill has beens . Prospects presumably have an upside but it’s better to find that out at age 23/24 rather than 26/27.
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