The Dodgers can’t afford to keep waiting for Andy Pages to snap out of it.
After Atlanta held Los Angeles down again in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers head into Game 3 with their offense looking flat and the Braves lined up to attack with Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle at home. Atlanta already quieted LA with six pitchers in a second straight bullpen game, and now the pressure is squarely on Dave Roberts to shake things up before the series gets away from him.
Pages is the obvious place to start. He has been a breakout story this season, earning his first career All-Star nod after carrying the Dodgers at times in the first half.
But the postseason has once again turned into a problem. Last year, he hit just 4-for-51 and was eventually benched in the World Series before returning as a defensive replacement to help save Game 7.
This October has started in a similar way: he’s 0-for-7 through two games with four strikeouts.
Roberts acknowledged there was "a little bit" of concern with his center fielder.
"He's in a much better spot than he was last year," Roberts said before Game 2, in which Pages went 0-for-3. "I just want to see him check down a little bit more, chase hits instead of slug. ...
I just want to see him kind of slow down a little bit because, again, he came into this postseason really good, had a good week. This past week was great work.
Just want to make sure he kind of just checks down a little bit."
That’s fair, but the Dodgers don’t need patience right now. They need production. And the cleanest way to get it is to put Enrique Hernandez in the lineup for Game 3.
Hernandez gives Roberts options. He can handle center field, or he can slide in at second base and let Tommy Edman move to the outfield. Even if the move only lasts one game, it sends a clear message: the Dodgers are not going to keep running the same lineup out there and hope for a different result.
It also puts one of the most reliable playoff bats on the field. Hernandez has played in 104 career postseason games and hit .272 with 16 home runs and an .826 OPS. That kind of track record matters when a series is teetering.
The Dodgers still have time, but not much. If the offense stumbles again against Sale, they could be staring at elimination before Game 4 in Atlanta.
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Dodgers Clearly Have An Andy Pages Problem They Couldn't Ignore
The Dodgers have been carrying Andy Pages in a very specific, very modern area of the game, and it has become enough of a concern that Dave Roberts had to address it again before the postseason. Roberts said the coaching staff talked with Pages about his poor success rate with ABS challenges and told him not to challenge any pitches in the next game, a reminder of how much trust the club has tried to pull back in that part of his game.
Pages still made a questionable challenge early in Game 1, a decision that left the Dodgers with only one challenge for the rest of the night. It was the kind of moment that explained why the team had already restricted him from challenging pitches in the second half of the regular season for similar reasons, and why this issue has become impossible for the Dodgers to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
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Instead, the ball hit the roof and was caught by a Brewers outfielder, a result that fit the stadiums ground rules and stood after the Padres challenged it. It was the kind of ruling that can swing the mood of an entire series, and now San Diego heads into its next chance to level things with the usual October pressure hanging over every pitch. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Get A Popular Postseason Perk Back After Home Win
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The deal is tied to Dodgers home victories all through the postseason and comes with the code DODGERSWIN, along with some restrictions. It is also one more detail to keep in mind as the Dodgers move through their upcoming home playoff dates, with broadcast information already set for the games to come. [Read more 🡒]