April 30th, 2021 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka Let’s be honest here; we are all spoiled by superstar future Hall of Fame outfielder Mookie Betts. Even those who were outraged when the Dodgers signed him to a ludicrous 12-year/$365 million contract extension on July 22, 2020, soon came to realize that their beloved team would not have won the 2020 World Series without his .292/.366/.562/.927 Silver Slugger bat and his .983 fielding percentage Gold Glove – period.
But that was then, and this is now, and there is no kind way to put it, but the 28-year-old Nashville, TN native and fifth-round draft pick in 2011 by the Boston Red Sox out of Overton High School in Nashville, is not the same Silver Slugger/Gold Glover that he was last season.
Although “It’s still early,” as people are so fond of saying (ad nauseam) when their team is struggling in April and May, through the Dodgers’ first 26 games of the new season, Betts is slashing .250/.364/.405/.768 with only two home runs and five RBI. And though he is currently tied for the team lead in doubles at seven with team everything leader Justin Turner, Betts has struck out an un-Betts-like 17 times in his 84 at-bats thus far this season, including 11 times in his last 10 games. Taking it one step further, during Thursday night’s anemic 2-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field (formerly Miller Park), Betts went 1-for-4 with a single, a walk, and two strikeouts … both looking. Say what you will, but this is very un-Betts-like.
To be fair, Betts is not the only Dodger struggling right now. In fact, aside from the aforementioned Justin Turner (.337/.422/.628/.1.049), Chris Taylor (.263/.391/.526/.918), and Corey Seager (.263/.348/.465/.813), the entire team is in what Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has repeatedly called “a little lull right now.” The problem is, Roberts’ “little lull right now“ has the Dodgers in second place in the National League West behind the San Francisco Giants, which, quite frankly, is unacceptable. And while it is indeed “still early,” a loss in April and May carries exactly the same weight as a loss in August and September … when it will no longer be “still early.”
Simply put: So goes Mookie Betts … So go the Dodgers.
Play Ball!
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Posted in 
It’s obvious right now, that it’s the offense right now that is struggling against opponents pitching, that has the Dodgers playing the way they have been. I’m just hoping that things change as they usually do.
Mookie’s not hitting right now, but he’s still helping the club on the bases and in the field. The guy I’m having a real problem with is Max Muncy in the cleanup spot. Simply put, he doesn’t want to swing the bat. He’s looking to walk every time. If it’s 1-0 or 2-0 and he gets a good pitch, he still takes it. He only swings when he has to. So whoop-de-do, he leads the league in walks, but he’s hitting .222 and slugging .383. This is not what you want from your cleanup hitter. Not when you’ve got a bunch of struggling hitters behind you. Remember, Muncy hit under .192 last year, so this drought is now at 85 games. I think he’s turned back into the pumpkin he was in Oakland. Once the league figures out he’s no longer a threat with the bat, those walks are going to start drying up too. If the Dodgers keep playing him, they’ve got to drop him down in the order. He’s got Justin Turner putting up MVP numbers in front of him and he’s still only got 11 RBIs. He’s not driving anybody in. Get him out of there.
Valid points, all.
Although the slump is team-wide (less Turner), I absolutely cannot understand why Edwin Rios is still with the big league club. The dude hasn’t gotten a hit since April 13 and is the team’s ‘designated (strike) out.”
I am also not enamored with AJ Pollock, who Dave Roberts seems to think is a valuable veteran presence. He flat out sucks (.247/.293/.364/.656). EVERY time he comes up in a crucial situation, he chokes; usually by striking out and swinging at bad pitches. Yes, he has his occasional ‘look at me’ moments, but he is hurting the team far more than helping it.
Pollock got it going today anyway. Meanwhile, Matt Beatty started in place of Max Muncy and drove in 7 runs on 4 hits. Hopefully this is a wake up call for Dave Roberts and the Dodgers.
I agree with you that Rios looks like he’s done. There must be some infielder in the minors capable of hitting better than .085.