It looks like the Dodgers are finally ready to take Andy Biggs out of the lineup
If your formation decisions are making international headlines, it’s not a sign that your attack is running smoothly.
The South Korean news site Chosun presented to its readers on Tuesday This address:
Hyesong Kim sits on the bench as the Dodgers start .093 hitter
Andy Pages is no longer a .093 hitter. After another hitless evening in Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday, Pages’ postseason batting average dropped to .080.
With two or three games remaining in the Dodgers’ season, the time for patience has passed. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts publicly announced a lineup change on multiple occasions in October, but said it was time to act.
“I think so,” Roberts said. “I’m going to think long and hard, and it might look a little different tomorrow.”
Roberts listed his options: stick with Pages in center field, replace him with Andy Call in the outfield, or move Tommy Edman to center field and play Miguel Rojas at second base.
“I have to make a decision,” Roberts said. “So, we’re just trying to think about all of those things and distill them and figure out what gives us the best chance tomorrow.”
That’s not all on the pages, but rarely do you find such a clear mandate for change.
Roberts can list all the options he wants, but Pages shouldn’t be in the lineup on Wednesday.
Pages has hit more home runs this season than any Dodger player except Shohei Ohtani, a nice defensive player, but his best position is right field.
His glove can’t hold him. Keeping Pages in center field would be in no way closer to keeping, say, Devon White or Willie Davis in center field.
Roberts started the same nine players in every game in the World Series and National League Championship Series. Each one has an OPS above .660 except for Pages, whose OPS is .215.
In 50 at-bats this season, he had four hits — one double and three singles — and no walks.
The Korean news site contextualized its confusion that the Dodgers limited Kim to one appearance throughout the postseason, as a pinch runner.
“A player with a batting average of less than 0.1 is still playing,” Chosun reported.
Even if Pages doesn’t play Wednesday, the Dodgers still have issues. They don’t think Kim can solve it at this stage of his young career, but even a few hits from Call or Rojas Wednesday can’t solve them all either.
In his last 19 plate appearances, Pages has reached base once. This shouldn’t be critical to evaluating a No. 9 hitter, but Pages was ahead of Ohtani.
On Monday, the Blue Jays issued four consecutive intentional home runs to Ohtani, saying they wouldn’t let him beat them.
On Tuesday, Ohtani never faced a runner on base, and the Blue Jays decided to let Ohtani try to beat them. He was hitless in three at-bats, striking out twice. His teammates went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
“We’re up against quality weapons at this time of year against really good teams, against the best of the best, so I think it’s not that easy,” Ohtani said through translator Will Ireton.
“But at the same time, we can do at least the bare minimum to be able to do some running.”
The Dodgers are averaging four runs per game in the World Series, League Championship Series, and Division Series. Their batting average per inning, in this order: .214, .250 and .199.
The Blue Jays are averaging 6.3 runs scored in postseason play. The Dodgers have never scored more than six runs in any game in the World Series, LCS or Division Series.
In the seventh inning on Tuesday, the Blue Jays opened the game by scoring four runs, in a walk that included four singles, a double, and an intentional walk.
“They built a role there,” Roberts said.
That’s what the Dodgers do, when they’re at their best: pass the baton, keep the line moving, whatever term you use to keep the rally going and trust your teammates to do the same instead of looking for a home run.
They are not at their best right now. We’re almost out of time to find out. At least, they can turn the pages.