While covering second base during the Dodgers game on Sunday against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. Five-time Gold Glove winner Mookie Betts made an amazing running grab, one to remind everyone that it was not his first time covering second base, a position that he grew up playing and one that he is no stranger to. During Tuesday’s game against the hated Houston Astros at Dodgers Stadium, Betts wanted to remind people that he is still really good at covering second base by making another sensational diving grab in the fifth inning that robbed Astros right fielder Michael Brantley of a hit.

Unfortunately, not even a jaw-dropping catch at second base by a four-time silver slugger Betts could wake up the bats for the Dodgers during their much-awaited series against the Houston Astros. The fans were chanting “cheaters!” loudly in the stands and didn’t hold back any booing whenever the Astros took the field. After all, this was the first chance Dodgers fans have been given to express their disgust to the Astros in person at Chavez Ravine since their sign-stealing scandal was revealed late in 2019. Even with the high fan energy, the Dodgers bats remained absent from the entire game.

“You can tell fans are still unhappy about what happened and it made it a fun atmosphere tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t win for them,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said during a media event after the game.

Vanderbilt alumni, right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler threw a career-high 115 pitches, all within six innings. Buehler was charged with one run on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks. All with no run support from his teammates. The Dodgers left ten runners on base but had only one reach third, which was short-lived in the eighth when center-fielder Cody Bellinger was struck out by Astros Left-fielder Chas McCormick, who took the mound from pitcher Blake Taylor.

“Momentum wasn’t able to carry us to get the bats going,” Buehler said. “No matter how emotional this series is, at the end of the day, this is a good baseball team, and they played well tonight,” Buehler told members of the media.

Leaving ten runners stranded on base is not the way to win baseball games. The Dodgers need to get mad and play very mad if they want to gain that momentum and start winning games.

Let’s play ball!

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