LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers have shuffled their slumping lineup for Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday, notably moving Mookie Betts down in the order for the first time in four years and benching Andy Pages.
Betts will bat third in the lineup submitted by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, while Freddie Freeman moved down to fourth. Catcher Will Smith moved up to second behind Shohei Ohtani.
Roberts made the changes after the defending champions batted .214 while with the Toronto Blue Jays. Los Angeles has only 34 hits — 10 fewer than Toronto — and has relied heavily on seven homers to drive in its 17 runs.
“In the postseason, you’ve got to be a little bit more reactive than the regular season,” Roberts said. “When I netted out the value of what I feel gives us the best chance to win today, that was a decision I made.”
Roberts wouldn’t get any deeper into the details of his reasons for the moves at the top of his lineup.
“As far as Mookie and Will, I just feel that that’s the best way to win the game tonight,” Roberts said. “So both players were alerted, and both players are all on board.”
Game 5 will be the first time since 2021 that Betts isn’t starting in one of the top two spots in Los Angeles’ lineup.
The eight-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion has been the Dodgers’ No. 2 hitter nearly all season behind Ohtani. Roberts resisted any temptation to move Betts during rough spots in his underwhelming regular season at the plate.
But Betts is 3 for 19 with no RBIs and no extra-base hits in the World Series after going 2 for 12 without scoring a run in the past two games at Dodger Stadium, and Roberts decided he could wait no longer.
“There’s some mechanics,” Roberts said. “They’re making good pitches. He’s working hard to kind of clean some things up. … All that matters is just going out there and taking four or five good at-bats, and so all I’m concerned about is tonight, and I know that’s what’s on Mookie’s mind, too.”
Smith is 4 for 17 with a homer and four RBIs in the World Series while also catching every inning.
Alex Call is in the lineup in place of Pages, who is 1 for 15 in the World Series and 4 for 50 with one RBI in the entire postseason. Call will play left field while Kiké Hernández moves to center.
Pages had an .828 OPS at the start of July during a first half that inspired All-Star talk around the outfielder, but he dropped off in the second half. Only his defense in center field — and the Dodgers’ lack of a tempting alternative — likely kept Pages in the lineup this long into his October struggles.
Roberts is giving a start to Call, who is 4 for 17 in his first MLB postseason as a backup outfielder. The Dodgers are eager to get more runners on base for Ohtani from the bottom of their lineup.
Roberts said he inserted Call to improve the Dodgers’ “at-bat quality, seeing pitches, the potential to get somebody on base for Shohei at the top. I feel good with Kiké in center field and Alex’s defense in left.”
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