The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to avoid a sweep against NL West rival San Francisco Giants after dropping the first two games of the series. Things got worse Wednesday night when Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak ended after an 0-for-4 performance.
“Shohei Ohtani’s on-base streak is in danger tonight. He is 0 for 3 with two weak ground outs and a K. Since resuming pitching last season, he has hit .203 (13 for 64) on days when he pitches,” Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett posted.
The struggles go beyond Ohtani. LA’s dealing with lineup issues across the board, with several players not producing at expected levels. The biggest concern might be Kyle Tucker, their marquee offseason addition.
Manager Dave Roberts thinks Tucker’s pressing at the plate.
“He’s getting out of his zone, I see. He’s not a guy who typically chases down below, but he’s chasing a lot more down below for me. Typically when guys chase, they’re trying to do a little bit too much.”
That’s where the lineup shuffle comes in.
Roberts decided to flip Freddie Freeman and Tucker on Thursday, moving Freeman back to the two-hole and dropping Tucker to cleanup. It’s not a temporary fix either – he’s sticking with it for the foreseeable future.
“Dave Roberts said he’s going to stick with Freddie Freeman batting second and Kyle Tucker batting fourth for the foreseeable future. He felt Tucker was still trying to do too much/looking indecisive with his swing decisions, so wanted to ‘give him a different look’ in order,” Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris wrote.
The move makes sense on multiple levels. Freeman’s comfortable in the two-spot – he’s hit there plenty for LA. Tucker might feel less pressure in the heart of the order, where he can focus on driving in runs rather than setting the table.
It’s still early enough in the season where teams are figuring out their best combinations. Sometimes a simple position change in the batting order can unlock a player who’s been pressing.
For the Dodgers, avoiding a sweep against their division rivals starts with getting their best hitters comfortable. This lineup tweak could be exactly what they need to get back to playing the kind of baseball everyone expected from this loaded roster.
