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DENVER — Mookie Betts was the primary Dodgers place participant out on the sphere Tuesday, strolling to a spot close to the third-base foul line and kneeling on a mat earlier than a coach, who started hitting mushy floor balls to his proper and left.
It’s a drill Betts does repeatedly to enhance his protection. Betts’ protection, nevertheless, actually isn’t an issue for the Dodgers.
A six-time Gold Glove winner in proper area, Betts moved to shortstop full-time this season, turning his outdated place over to Teoscar Hernández. And his protection has been an issue. However Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned he isn’t planning any adjustments to his lineup in the interim.
“Are we enjoying our greatest defensive lineup? No,” Roberts mentioned. “However I might say there’s only a few groups within the large leagues enjoying their finest defensive lineup each night time. Even in a postseason race, you’ve nonetheless bought to attain.”
The Dodgers are in a postseason race and Hernández helps them rating, rating second on the workforce in dwelling runs (20) and RBIs (75) after going two for 5 with a run and an RBI in Tuesday’s 11-4 rout of the Colorado Rockies. He additionally made two good operating catches.
However Hernández’s protection typically helps the opposite workforce rating too, so Roberts is holding his fingers crossed that may change.
“There’s been instances that he’s performed a formidable proper area,” he mentioned. “I feel he’s going to get again to that. I actually do.”
The Dodgers didn’t want a lot protection Tuesday, pounding out 18 hits with each starter reaching base as least as soon as. Alex Name led the best way with a career-high 4 hits, together with a house run and a double, scoring three runs and driving in two others.
Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Betts and Miguel Rojas joined Hernández and Name with a number of hits for the Dodgers, who scored eight of their 11 runs with two out.
As for Betts, getting into Tuesday his fielding share was tied for fourth amongst Nationwide League shortstops who’ve performed at the least 25 video games on the place, however the psychological pressure of enjoying the place could also be hurting his offensive numbers, that are profession lows throughout the board. A .290 lifetime hitter, Betts went two for six Tuesday, elevating his common to .243.
So, Roberts was requested, wouldn’t the Dodgers be higher offensively and defensively with Betts in proper area, Hernández in left and Rojas at quick?
“That’s a good query,” he answered. “However , I don’t suppose that we’re there fairly but.”
Particularly not Tuesday, when the Dodgers took a 2-0 first-inning lead and by no means appeared again. Smith bought the rally began, strolling with two out, then scoring on Freeman’s double to proper heart. Hernández adopted with a double of his personal, scoring Freeman.
The Dodgers doubled the lead within the second on solo homers from Name and Shohei Ohtani. For Name, his 453-foot blast was the longest by a Dodger this season whereas for Ohtani the homer, his 44th of the season, prolonged his streak of reaching base to 17 straight video games.
The lead grew to 7-0 within the third on two-out run-scoring singles by Name, Rojas and Buddy Kennedy. The RBI for Kennedy was his first since becoming a member of the Dodgers final week whereas the seven runs had been essentially the most the workforce had scored in a recreation in 10 days — and there have been nonetheless six innings to play.
Starter Emmet Sheehan didn’t want practically that a lot assist, breezing into the fourth earlier than Brenton Doyle bought the Rockies on the scoreboard with a two-out, two-run homer to left-center. Kyle Karros, the son of former Dodger first baseman Eric Karros. added two extra with a two-out, two-run homer — his first as a serious leaguer — within the sixth.
The Dodgers answered with three runs within the high of the seventh. Sheehan (4-2) didn’t come out for the underside of the inning, matching a profession excessive by going six innings, putting out a season-best seven batters to earn the win.
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