The Los Angeles Dodgers fell in extras 4-3 Tuesday to the Chicago Cubs, and the standard theme over the past two weeks continued: A solid start on the mound befallen by a lackluster offense.
One of the hardest hit Dodgers in this offensive struggle is pinch hitter/third baseman Edwin Rios. After an 0-for-3 effort at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, Rios’ slash line fell to a paltry .078/.217/.137 — the first and third numbers would be the worst marks in MLB if he had enough at-bats to qualify.
The numbers show in plain view that Rios is not performing up to MLB standards at the moment, so a demotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City should happen soon. I don’t know if it will, but that should be happening this week.
That’s not to say he can’t get out of his slump. Those happen in baseball and he’s been a solid contributor to the Dodgers in the past. That said, if he were to go down to OKC, he would get consistent at-bats in an environment that isn’t as high pressure as being on a Dodger team in the middle of a slump and stricken with multiple injuries.
I’m fully in support of Rios being sent down while he irons out his struggles, and more playing time for Matt Beaty should be in order.
Beaty’s been off to an incredibly hot stretch, especially over the last roughly two weeks. Beaty’s slash line over the last 15 games stands at .435/.581/.565. He’s deserving of more playing time — either in a pinch-hitting role or starting at first base every now and then with the injury to Cody Bellinger.
The fact of the matter is that Rios and the normally well-oiled machine that is the Dodger offense is mired in a seemingly never-ending pit of quicksand.
While I feel that both will eventually fix their struggles, now is not the time to panic when it comes to a season outlook, steps must be taken nonetheless to try to get the group jumpstarted again before it does become a bigger problem.
Proactivity should be the approach here, and a temporary demotion of Rios and elevating Beaty could be the first step in the attempt to fix the Dodgers.
What happens with Rios remains to be seen, but Los Angeles cannot go with the status quo.
2 comments
Ralph Garcia
I find that he has lost his confidence and is going thru the motions of playing. How can a guy swing a bat, let go with one hand and hit with any kind of power behind the swing. He is letting his left arm go before he makes contact and expects the ball to travel. I don’t think so. he does need to get back to basics. SEE BALL , HIT BALL. swinging for the fences is not going to get him out of a slump.
CharlzD
Nice Article…I look forward to future writings…