There is something unsettling about being great at something for years, only to be asked to transform it for the sake of the bigger picture. That is the storm brewing inside the Dodgers. Mookie Betts was once identified as a staple at the top of the order; however, now the star has been adjusting to life further down the lineup. As Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are attracting all the spotlight with their consistency, Betts has opened up about the less visible battle.
When Betts invested years leading off for the team, his approach was clear: work the count, analyze pitches, and get into the game slowly. However, adjusting to the No. 2 position has thrown a wrench in that rhythm. He told Lars Nootbaar, on Bleacher Report, that this shift has not been easy. He said, “I am so used to… trying to see pitches, work your bat, get into the game a little bit.” Now, batting behind Ohtani and ahead of Freeman, Betts feels pressure to swing earlier, which is not his natural style.
This transformation is not just about place in the lineup; it is about thought process and timing. “I want Shohei to swing as much as possible… and obviously with Freddy behind me, I want him to swing, too,” Betts said. But here’s a twist: “I am kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.” Pitchers will throw 80, 90 pitches anyway, so the star wonders if it matters whether he works the count or swings early.
The mental tug-of-war arrives when the Dodgers’ two-way star gets out quickly. “If he gets out on one or two pitches, it is like, man, you are in your head a little bit,” he admitted. That is when self-doubt creeps in.
Adding more intricacy to Betts’ issue is the fact that, despite a decrease in some offensive numbers, Betts’ .268 batting average and .752 OPS mark his career lows. The 32-year-old star insists that the new shift in role has not affected his swing. He said to reporters, “There is no excuses. It is just a matter of me getting it done.” However, clearly, adjusting to a vital defensive role, adapting to a new position, and managing hopes around power hitters has created a perfect storm. Such a layered dynamic is why he feels “stuck”. As Betts grapples with the position change, the Dodgers’ offensive battles run deeper than one star’s thought process.
Dodgers fight to capitalize with runners in scoring position
Building on Betts’ candid admission, the Dodgers’ larger offensive issues have become impossible to ignore. The team’s current 5-0 loss to the Cardinals highlighted a vital issue: timely hitting with runners in scoring position. As Betts said after the game, “You have to have timely hitting… We played defense and pitched pretty well, just could not scratch anything across.” Such honesty shows the frustration simmering within the Dodgers.
Though Betts had some good games recently, going 3-for-4 against the Cardinals, the Dodgers as a whole could not convert scoring opportunities. Going just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position paints a stark picture of a lineup struggling to deliver elite performance when it counts most. Such a struggle shows why the Dodgers’ current record is 6-7 over the team’s last 13 games and why the team could fall in the NL West, now just two games over the Padres.
Yet, there are silver linings amid the dark clouds. Center fielder Andy Pages has delivered an elite performance, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games and highlighting that the team still has some weapons ready to fire. However, until the Dodgers collectively improve with runners in scoring position, the team risks slipping further behind in what is shaping up to be a tight divisional race.
As Betts works to identify his rhythm, the team faces a vital crossroads. The Dodgers’ recent issues with timely hitting say that baseball is a team game—individual stars can shine, but, success relies on clutch performances from everyone.
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The post “I’m Stuck” – Mookie Betts Links Surprising Struggles to Shohei Ohtani & Freddie Freeman After Internal Shift Sparks Pressure appeared first on EssentiallySports.
