TORONTO — It was a miserably chilly, wet and grey afternoon outdoors Rogers Centre on Thursday.
Contained in the stadium, nonetheless, the Dodgers discovered some rays of emotional sunshine.
No, this isn’t the place the workforce needed to be, dealing with a 3-2 deficit within the World Sequence getting into Sport 6 on Friday evening in opposition to the Toronto Blue Jays.
And no, there was not a lot to be ok with after a disastrous 48 hours in Video games 4 and 5 of this Fall Traditional, during which the Dodgers relinquished management of the sequence and allowed their title-defense marketing campaign to be placed on life assist.
However throughout an off-day exercise, the membership tried to rebound from that disappointment and reframe the downtrodden mindset that permeated the clubhouse after Sport 5.
Each participant confirmed as much as the ballpark, though attendance was elective after a protracted evening of journey.
“That was fairly thrilling for me, and simply speaks to the place these guys are at,” supervisor Dave Roberts stated. “They understand that the job’s not achieved.”
Roberts introduced some levity to the beginning of the exercise, too, difficult speedster Hyeseong Kim to a race across the bases — solely to stumble face-first on the flip round second whereas attempting to protect his comically massive head begin.
“Minimize the cameras,” Roberts yelled to media members, as he playfully grabbed at his hamstring and wiped grime off his sweatshirt.
Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts reacts after falling whereas difficult Hyeseong Kim to a race on the basepaths throughout a workforce exercise at Rogers Centre on Thursday.
(Vaughn Ridley / Getty Photos)
Then, the Dodgers started working on their main job: Attempting to sync up an offense that had seemed misplaced the final two video games, and has scuffled by way of a lot of October.
“I’ve been doing a variety of fascinated about this … and I may dive into my ideas,” Roberts stated of the workforce’s offensive struggles, which he famous may embody one other lineup alteration for Sport 6.
“However I feel on the finish of the day,” Roberts continued, “they only must compete and combat within the batter’s field. It’s one-on-one, the hitter versus the pitcher, and that’s it. Actually. I imply, I feel that that form of mindset is all I’ll be in search of. And I count on good issues to occur from that.”
Within the losses at Chavez Ravine, the majors’ second-highest scoring offense struggled to hone that ethos. The Dodgers scored solely three runs, racked up a woeful 10 hits and seemed extra just like the model of themselves that stumbled by way of a lot of the second half of the season earlier than getting into the playoffs on a late-season surge.
Their largest stars stopped hitting. Their teamwide method glided by the wayside. And within the aftermath of Sport 5, they nearly gave the impression to be looking for their id as a workforce on the plate — attempting to couple their naturally gifted slugging capacity, with the necessity to work extra aggressive at-bats and earn hittable pitches first.
“We’re simply not having good at-bats,” third baseman Max Muncy stated.
“We’ve obtained to determine one thing out,” echoed shortstop Mookie Betts.
Take a fast look on the numbers on this World Sequence, and the Dodgers’ hitting issues are comparatively straightforward to elucidate.
Shohei Ohtani (who took one other Ruthian spherical of batting apply Thursday) doesn’t have a success since reaching base 9 occasions within the 18-inning Sport 3 marathon. Betts (who spent as a lot time hitting as anybody Thursday) has bottomed out with a three-for-25 efficiency.
Different essential bats, together with Muncy and Tommy Edman, are hitting underneath .200. And as a workforce, the Dodgers have 55 strikeouts (11 greater than the Blue Jays), a .201 total common and simply six hits in 30 at-bats with runners in scoring place.
“We obtained a variety of guys who aren’t scorching proper now, aren’t feeling one of the best,” Edman stated Wednesday evening. “However we obtained to show the web page, and hopefully we are able to swing it higher the following couple days.”
“As a bunch,” Kiké Hernández added, “it’s time for us to point out our character and put up a combat and see what occurs. … It’s time for us, for the offense, to point out up.”
Higher manufacturing from Betts could be a very good begin.
On Wednesday evening, the shortstop didn’t mince phrases about his current offensive struggles, saying he has “simply been horrible” after batting .164 in 13 video games because the begin of the Nationwide League Division Sequence.
Roberts tried to take some stress off the previous MVP in Sport 5, shifting him from second to 3rd in a reshuffled batting order. However after that yielded yet one more hitless efficiency, Roberts additional simplified the duty for his 33-year-old star.
“Deal with one sport, and be good for one sport,” Roberts stated. “Go on the market and compete.”
On Thursday, that was Betts’ focus, with a number of folks across the workforce noting a quiet and renewed confidence he carried into his off-day batting apply session. He had lengthy talks with hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, particular assistant Ron Roenicke and Roberts across the hitting cage. He looked for solutions to a swing that, of late, has generated too many shallow pop-ups and mishit balls.
Dodgers teammates Mookie Betts, left, Max Muncy, Tommy Edman and Freddie Freeman wait on the infield throughout a pitching change within the seventh inning of Sport 5 of the World Sequence on Wednesday evening at Dodger Stadium.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
“He seemed nice,” fellow hitting coach Aaron Bates stated. “Really, his head was in a very good place. Good spirits. The entire group, guys had been nice. Everybody got here and confirmed up and hit and obtained their work in.”
For the Dodgers to avoid wasting their season, it isn’t solely Betts who might want to discover a turnaround.
Whereas Blue Jays starters Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage pitched properly in Video games 4 and 5, the Dodgers additionally appeared to battle to adapt their plan of assault — getting caught in an “in-between” state, as each Roberts and several other gamers famous, of each attempting to assault fastballs and defend in opposition to secondary stuff.
“Typically we’re too aggressive,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández stated. “Typically we’re too affected person.”
“It looks as if at-bats are snowballing on us proper now,” Kiké Hernández added. “We’re getting pitches to hit, we’re lacking them. And we’re increasing the zone with two strikes.”
Being “in-between” was an issue for the Dodgers late within the season, once they ranked simply twelfth within the majors in scoring after the All-Star break. That it’s occurring once more raises a well-known query in regards to the id of the membership.
Do they wish to be an aggressive, slugging lineup that lives and dies by the house run? Or extra of a contact-minded unit able to grinding out at-bats and stressing an opposing pitcher’s pitch depend. Roberts’ emphasis on higher “compete” signaled the necessity to do extra of the latter.
Freeman echoed that notion main as much as Sport 5.
“If we’re going up there simply attempting to hit house runs, it’s simply not the secret,” Freeman stated. “We simply must verify down and have, like, nearly a 0-1 mindset. Simply construct innings, lengthen ‘em, work counts, be who we’re.”
So, how do they really go about doing that, forward of a Sport 6 matchup with a pitcher in Kevin Gausman who excels at mixing his fastball and splitter?
“Mainly, it’s a must to hold to your strengths,” Bates stated. “And see what the following pitcher brings to the desk.”
The one silver lining: The Dodgers have been on this spot earlier than.
Final yr, on the very begin of their World Sequence run, they confronted the same scenario within the NLDS in opposition to the San Diego Padres, profitable back-to-back video games with clutch offensive outbursts that helped catapult them to an eventual World Sequence title.
“We will do it once more,” Freeman stated.
“I feel we’re a extra proficient workforce than we had been final yr,” Kike Hernández added.
Coming into Friday, they may have two video games to show it. Now or by no means. Do, or watch their goals of cementing a dynasty die.
