TAMPA, Fla. — Scoring runs at Steinbrenner Discipline shouldn’t be as laborious because the Dodgers made it look this weekend.
The spring coaching ballpark, which is doubling because the Tampa Bay Rays’ short-term residence this season after Tropicana Discipline was shredded in an offseason hurricane, has small Yankee Stadium-inspired dimensions that performed even shorter on this weekend’s sweltering Florida summer time warmth.
But, for 18 innings from late Friday evening to halfway via Sunday afternoon, the Dodgers put nothing however zeros on the scoreboard.
They couldn’t capitalize on the quick porch in proper area. They didn’t run into any low cost residence runs amid situations that ought to have helped the ball fly.
Throughout a 3-0 win over the Rays on Sunday, the Dodgers manufactured offense in numerous sorts of the way.
Within the prime of the sixth, third base coach Dino Ebel determined to wave his arm on an aggressive ship of Freddie Freeman, who went chugging round third base to attain simply forward of a tag at residence on Andy Pages’ RBI single to left.
Within the seventh, they wanted a swinging-bunt single from Shohei Ohtani, a one-out stroll from Mookie Betts and a double-steal from each gamers to arrange Freeman for an additional RBI single.
And within the ninth, they prolonged their lead with a sacrifice fly from Betts on the finish of a 10-pitch battle for a key insurance coverage run.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws through the first inning of a win over the Rays in Tampa, Fla.
(Jason Behnken / Related Press)
Such outcomes will do little to quell the considerations concerning the Dodgers’ slumping lineup, which has seen a brutal efficiency in July (after they scored the third-fewest runs within the majors) proceed into the early days of August.
However on a day Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivered 5 ⅔ scoreless innings and the Dodgers’ bullpen accomplished a second shutout of the Rays on this weekend’s collection victory — regardless of a bases-loaded scare within the backside of the ninth — it was nonetheless sufficient to make sure the group returned residence from this nine-game street journey with a profitable 5-4 file.
The Dodgers’ ongoing seek for offense included one other twist on Sunday morning. Two weeks after flipping Ohtani and Betts on the prime of the batting order, supervisor Dave Roberts reversed course by returning Ohtani to the highest spot and dropping Betts — who has remained mired in his season-long hunch — into the two-hole.
Early on, the outcomes weren’t promising.
Betts grounded right into a double-play within the first inning, instantly after Ohtani had led off with a stroll.
Within the fifth, the Rays deliberately walked Ohtani to place two aboard in entrance of Betts. However he flied out to heart to finish the inning, extending his latest hitless streak to 16 at-bats.
“It’s kind of just trying to figure out what’s best short term,” Roberts mentioned of the lineup adjustment, whereas remaining undecided on how the batting order will look within the coming days. “With [Teoscar Hernández, who got an off day] not being in there, this was the best lineup for today.”
Roberts hinted that extra tinkering may occur as soon as Max Muncy returns from the injured listing, which may occur as quickly as Monday — particularly after infielder Tommy Edman left Sunday’s sport early with a sprained proper ankle, aggravating his lingering ankle harm whereas rounding first base on a single within the fifth.
Roberts additionally left open the potential of Betts, who noticed his season batting common dip to .233 regardless of his seventh-inning stroll and ninth-inning sacrifice fly, dropping additional down the batting order in some unspecified time in the future, as he continues to seek for solutions to his faltering swing.
“I’ve thought about it,” Roberts mentioned. “I think it’s a totally fair question. I’m just trying to figure out what would be best for him, for the team. But yeah, I’ve thought about it.”
For now, nonetheless, the Dodgers are clinging to what positives they’ll.
Ohtani entered Sunday in a latest skid that included 20 strikeouts in his final 10 video games, however managed to succeed in base 4 complete occasions to go together with two steals. Freeman stayed sizzling together with his second three-hit efficiency of the journey, elevating his batting common (which had slipped to .292 only a week in the past) as much as .306. And by the tip of the day, even Betts had pitched in, following up his seventh-inning stroll by staying alive towards reliever Griffin Jax for his sacrifice fly within the ninth.
