Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
Much has been made about the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offensive struggles through the first week of the regular season, but the team’s bats finally woke up in a 13-6 rout of the Washington Nationals on Friday.
After initially falling behind 3-0, the Dodgers responded with a five-run third inning. Shohei Ohtani hit a game-tying three-run homer before Mookie Betts put the club up with a two-run blast.
Andy Pages slugged a two-run homer of his own in the fourth inning, and Freddie Freeman also added a two-run shot in the top of the fifth. Kyle Tucker joined the home run party in the seventh inning with his first as a member of the Dodgers.
“It’s a new day,” Betts said on SportsNet LA. “That’s really it. Nobody in here is panicking or anything. It’s one week and it’s probably not going to be our last week that we don’t hit well. We can’t get emotional. We’ve got to just stay the course. Stay the course, and everything will be all right.”
L.A. finished with season-highs in runs, hits (16) and home runs (five), putting some of those earlier offensive concerns to rest.
The top of the Dodgers lineup has uncharacteristically struggled to begin the year, with Ohtani, Tucker, Betts and Freeman all getting off to slow starts. The four combined to go 8-for-21 (.381) with four home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored in the series opener against the Nationals.
“No. Not at all,” Betts answered when asked if some Dodgers players had shown any frustration because of their early-season slumps. “I think the frustration is from the outside and not the inside.
“Again, we understand you cannot get emotional about it. If we could hit well every day, everybody would be doing it. Everybody goes through their slumps. Everybody goes through their ups and downs. It’s just part of the game.”
Betts’ message is similar to the one that several Dodgers preached last season when the team collectively struggled at the plate. It’s a long season, and L.A. knows that they will click offensively more times than not given the talent of their lineup.
Dodgers confident at-bat quality will lead to success
Will Smith previously downplayed the Dodgers’ offensive struggles and said he has been encouraged by the quality of their at-bats.
“If you actually look at our at-bats, we swing at the right pitches,” the All-Star catcher said earlier in the week. “We’re hitting the ball hard, some misfortune. But, yeah, it’s baseball. We’re not going to go out there and score 10 runs every night.
“We have to find ways to win. That’s done so far this year, even though we’re not putting up any 10 runs a game or whatever. But that’s who we are. We just go out there, we find a way to win and we did today.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!