After the usual round of landing in the infield during Dodgers' day off training on Sunday, Kike Hernandez ran to the center of the field and spent a noticeable amount of time there, hitting balls there.
The day before Game 3 of the World Seriesperhaps it wasn't a coincidence.
After using the same nine players in the starting lineup for six consecutive games since the start of the season National League Championship SeriesThe Dodgers are considering a change for Monday that could result in waiving the sophomore slugger. Andy Pages on the bench.
While the Dodgers' overall offense has been inconsistent this postseason, Pages has suffered the most glaring slump. He collected just four hits in 43 at-bats, registering a .093 batting average. He has 11 strikeouts, no walks and just one extra-base hit, providing little momentum or spark from the ninth.
Manager Dave Roberts before the second game he admitted that he was considering whether to keep Page in the lineup. And while the 24-year-old outfielder, who had 27 home runs and 86 RBIs in the regular season, scored Saturday, Roberts reiterated Sunday that a move with Pages is “still on the table” and “in the spotlight.”
“Just trying to figure out where he’s at mentally and physically,” Roberts said. “There was no representation. So we are thinking about other options, yes.”
One of the reasons the Dodgers stuck with Pages is because of their limited defensive options, including most notably the fact that utility man Tommy Edman was restricted from playing only second base this past October due to a lingering ankle injury.
Edman, who split time between center field and shortstop last postseason, said this weekend that his ankle is feeling better (though he hasn't closed the door on potentially needing surgery this offseason). But Roberts noted that Edman “hasn't played a single game in a month,” raising ongoing doubts about his ability to play anywhere else.
Without Edman, Hernandez is the only other center field option the Dodgers have in their starting lineup, as he also played there during the team's World Series run last year. This postseason, Hernandez played left field (and also played third base). But if he had moved to center field in Game 3, it could have opened up left field for someone like Alex Call.
Call, acquired at the trade deadline, who was a part-time player throughout the regular season, doesn't pose as much of a power threat as Pages, but is a better contact hitter with great on-base ability.
Of course, the Dodgers' offensive inconsistency extended beyond Page.
After the wild card round, they were within five runs in the game. They've hit just .216 as a team since the division series began. Shohei Ohtani And Freddie Freeman still batting under .225 in the playoffs. Mookie Betts is batting .136 since starting the NLCS.
While winning the second gameRoberts felt the club missed a lot of runs against Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman before Will Smith and Max Muncy finally broke through with home runs in the seventh.
That, Roberts said, was a sign that his lineup was “a little bit in the middle” in its approach, missing opportunities to do damage on fastballs over the plate while also struggling to defend against breakaway balls out of the zone.
“They made good pitches, but we also missed,” Roberts said. “I think coming back home, I feel like we got back into the rhythm offensively.”
Perhaps a shake-up of the lineup will help.
