Struggling Dodgers second baseman Logan Forsythe continued his offensive downward spiral on Sunday afternoon when he struck out in his one and only (pinch-hit) plate appearance, thus further dropping his batting average dangerously close to Mendoza line at .203 – this to go along with his horrible .253 on-base percentage and .304 slugging percentage for a DFA-worthy .557 OPS.

But don’t feel too bad for the extremely polite 31-year-old Memphis, Tennessee native, he’s got the unwavering affection and support of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts going for him. And as well all know, this alone can keep a guy around far longer than one might deserve to be kept around.

You are definitely in a slump when you swing and miss fastballs that are right down Broadway.
(Video capture courtesy of ATTR SportsNet)

To be fair, Roberts’ decision to keep running the 6′-1″ / 205-pound former first-round draft pick (by the San Diego Padres out of the University of Arkansas) out there is probably coming from a higher source because of the $8.5 million Forsythe is being paid this season as a third-year club option of his two-year / $10.5 million contract that the Dodgers inherited when the traded extremely popular right-hander Jose De Leon to the Tampa Bay Rays prior to the 2017 season. But having the Dodgers skipper in your corner most certainly helps when your career is on the line.

“Kiké [Hernandez] has earned more playing time. [Max] Muncy‘s going to play second base against right-handed pitching,” Roberts told reporters prior to Sunday’s game. “And then you’re looking at the left-handed pitching, Kiké’s going to be in the lineup and I would expect Logan to be in the lineup. So I think that there’s ways that we could get both those guys in the lineup against left-handed pitching.

“Kike’s done a great job, but against right-handed pitching he’ll be in there as well, he’s shown it,” added Roberts. “But also, with right-handers, I want to make sure Muncy’s bat is in there also, so there’s ways to kind of to navigate it though, yeah.”

But what about The Silver Fox – 39-year-old / 16-year MLB veteran second baseman Chase Utley? How does he fit into the mix, especially with Forsythe struggling so badly?

“Chase is going to be against a right-handed pitcher and trying to get him in there once a week, it’s a once-a-week type thing,” Roberts answered. “Understanding his value is as a pinch-hitter to give us a good at-bat off the bench, but you still need to get starts to kind of stay somewhat current. But I think that against a right-hander, we want to make sure Muncy gets in there.”

Indeed they do.

All the 27-year-old Midland, Texas native has done since his April 17 call-up (16 games into the 2018 season) is slug a team-high 17 home runs and draw a team-high 43 walks.

So how, then, does Roberts balance his team offensively – and effectively – as they head into the second half of the season?

“Well, we just talked about Muncy playing against right-handers, and then against the left-hander … I see Logan at second base against the lefty, and Kiké at that point in time will probably be in the outfield somewhere.”

Do you get the sense that Roberts is tiptoeing through the primary issue at hand here? I certainly did, so I asked him about it directly. How does he and his coaching staff help an eight-year MLB veteran like Forsythe get through what is arguably the worst slump of his career?

“Logan’s in a tough spot. The last few years he’s been an everyday player in Tampa before he came here,” Roberts answered. “And the way we do things as far as having more depth and using different players, it’s an adjustment for him and he’s handling it very well as far as his psyche.

“Production-wise, he’s still kind of working through things mechanically to adjust to a different type of role,” added Roberts. “But we know that there’s a lot more in there from Logan, and he’ll get opportunities. But right now, in the foreseeable future, it’s going to be more against left-handed pitching.”

So there you have it.

…clear as mud.