There is a saying that is as accurate today as it was when it was first uttered many years ago in the deep South:

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The natural assumption, of course, is that the contrary would be: “If it’s broke, fix it.”

The Dodgers are broke.

In their last 20 games, the Dodgers lost 15 of them. Fifteen!

Even the most novice baseball fan can see that the Dodgers are ‘broke.’ In fact, several Dodger players themselves are beginning to openly acknowledge it:

• Max Muncy – “We’re absolutely frustrated. We’re way better than this – period.”
• Trevor Bauer: “I’m pissed, personally. I frickin’ hate losing. I want to win, that’s why I came here, and we’re just not playing up to our capability right now.”

There is one Dodger, however, who has refused to acknowledge that his team is ‘broke’ right now – 48-year-old Dodgers manager Dave Roberts who, when asked this past week if he is concerned about his team’s inability to hit with runners on base and even more so with runners in scoring position said – and I quote: “I wouldn’t say concerned, I just think it’s something that we know we need to get better at.”

Are you kidding me? “I wouldn’t say concerned?”

Earth to Doc … Your team has lost 15 of their last 20 games and five of their last six. If this doesn’t concern you, you need to go.

By no means do I have the baseball acumen and background that Roberts does, but for the former 10-year major league outfielder (including three with the Dodgers) and now seven-year MLB manager (one with the San Diego Padres) not to be concerned about one of the worst tailspins by a defending World Series championship team in MLB history is very disturbing.

Although there is no surefire tip, trick, or tactic to bringing an abrupt halt to the Dodgers’ fall from grace, a good – and ridiculously simple – place to start would be for Roberts to shuffle his current everyday lineup; and by everyday, I mean EVERYDAY. With rare exception for an occasional day off (or “blow,” as Roberts likes to call it), it has been:

• Mookie Betts
• Corey Seager
• Justin Turner
• Max Muncy
• Will Smith or Austin Barnes
• AJ Pollock or a fill-in like Chris Taylor
• Gavin Lux
• A variety of replacements for the injured Cody Bellinger
• The pitcher’s spot (when there is no DH)

That’s it … and you can pretty much bank on it.

Although a full-blown shakeup of this lineup would be that ‘good – and ridiculously simple – place to start,’ at the very least, move Muncy out of the clean-up spot. While he and Roberts take enormous pride in the fact that Muncy leads all of baseball with his (current) 33 walks, your clean-up hitter is supposed to be your best hitter, not your best walker. Why not put Justin Turner and his current team-leading .319 batting average, team-leading 38 hits, team-leading seven home runs, and team-leading 23 RBI in the number-four hole, where your best hitter is supposed to be? If Muncy is so fond of drawing walks, which he is clearly very good at, why not move him up in the lineup so that he might be on base when your best hitter comes up … in the clean-up spot.

Another simple solution would be to include 28-year-old utility infielder/outfielder Matt Beaty and his current .293 / .420 / .390 / .810 slash line in the Dodgers ‘everyday lineup.’ Beaty flat out rakes when he is in the game. So why isn’t he?

“Matt had a heck of a day [on May 2 when he hit a grand slam and had seven RBI], and it was great. But I think that the thing for our club and for Matt to impact our club is to get periodic starts to keep him sharp and to be that valuable bat off of the bench….”

Are you kidding me? In the 23 games in which Beaty has appeared – bench player or otherwise – he has 15 runs batted in; fourth-most on the team behind Turner (23), Seager (19), and Muncy 16). When runs are at a premium for the 18-17 third-place Dodgers, how can Roberts, in good conscience, keep his second-best hitter on the bench?

It’s broke, Doc. Fix it.

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