{"id":18425,"date":"2026-06-28T04:02:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18425"},"modified":"2026-06-28T04:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:02:06","slug":"dodgers-still-searching-for-answer-in-no-2-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18425","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers still searching for answer in No. 2 spot"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SAN DIEGO \u2013 Shohei Ohtani has really been a hard act to follow.<\/p>\n

Going into Saturday\u2019s game, the Dodgers\u2019 No. 2 hitters have been among MLB\u2019s least productive group in that spot. They have hit a collective .215 (26th in MLB) with a .281 on-base percentage and .326 slugging percentage that rank 29th, combining for a .607 OPS tied with the Chicago Cubs\u2019 No. 2 hitters for the worst in baseball.<\/p>\n

Read more Angels send down Christian Moore to play every day<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that answer,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when asked for a theory on what has turned that spot in the Dodgers\u2019 lineup into a black hole. \u201cI\u2019d like to say it\u2019s not the thought of hitting behind Shohei. But when you see a guy in the batter\u2019s box and you\u2019re on deck and you see special things, I guess it\u2019s hard to have that not affect your psyche.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have the answer. Somebody\u2019s got to hit second.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andy Pages has done it the most now. Saturday was his 27th start batting second and he has slipped into a slump since moving there \u2013 a .196 average and .588 OPS in 25 games before Saturday.<\/p>\n

Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts set the tone, though. Tucker made 21 starts in the No. 2 spot and hit .238 with a .663 OPS. Betts was in the midst of a miserable start when he made 11 starts as the No. 2 hitter and went 7 for 47 (.149) there.<\/p>\n

Even Freddie Freeman was not immune to the 2-hole trouble. He hit just .213 in 20 starts at that spot in the lineup \u2013 .313 everywhere else.<\/p>\n

Whether it was a factor or just coincidental timing, Betts\u2019 bat has come to life since moving to fourth in the order. He hit .291 with an .869 OPS in his first 26 starts there. And Roberts has no plans to move Betts back.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI like him where he\u2019s at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is once he moved down to 4 he did get going. I don\u2019t know the psychology behind it for him. \u2026 But the facts are he started swinging better.\u201d<\/p>\n

BUEHLER\u2019S DAY<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Before Walker Buehler started against his former team on Friday, Roberts said he knew Buehler \u201cbadly\u201d wanted to beat the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoc is not wrong,\u201d Buehler said after the game \u2013 a 7-1 win during which he allowed just one run on three hits in 5\u2153 innings.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But Buehler emphasized there was \u201cno bad blood\u201d between him and the Dodgers since he left as a free agent following the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

Read more US airstrikes again hit Iran as Tehran strikes Bahrain and Kuwait, further imperiling interim deal<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey treated me very well for a long time and I think in some way I did to them as well,\u201d Buehler said. \u201cAnd my last pitch there was the last out of a World Series. I don\u2019t really know how else I would have gone out any better than that. And so, yeah, I want to kick everyone\u2019s (behind). I want to beat everyone, especially in the division, and especially a team that has been so successful against the organization I\u2019m with now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be a part of turning that around, and I certainly don\u2019t want to lose to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buehler made one start against the Dodgers during his time with the Boston Red Sox last year. That was at Fenway Park. He has yet to pitch at Dodger Stadium as the opponent \u2013 something which could happen next weekend when the Padres play a four-game series there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the first one in Boston was a lot bigger emotional kind of load, for lack of a better word,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a team in our division. I\u2019m going to have to pitch against them. It was good to get the first one in this uniform at home, and we\u2019ll see what kind of happens on the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t thrown at Dodger Stadium yet, which will be kind of a different thing. But nice to have kind of something to fall back on a little bit in terms of having some success.\u201d<\/p>\n

COMING SOON<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Teoscar Hernandez hit a home run in each of his first three rehab games with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He was scheduled to play again in left field on Saturday then likely take Sunday off and join the Dodgers in Sacramento on Monday to be activated from the Injured List. He has been out since suffering a hamstring injury on May 27.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Evan Phillips is nearing the end of his rehab assignment. He has made seven appearances for OKC, allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out seven in 7\u2153 innings.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan 3-5, 5.32) at Padres (RHP Michael King, 5-6, 3.33), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM<\/p>\n

Read more Katsu-ya sushi restaurants\u2019 founding chef dies at 67<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Dodgers have struggled to find production behind Shohei Ohtani, with Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Andy Pages all slumping near the top of the lineup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-los-angeles-dodgers"],"yoast_head":"\nDodgers still searching for answer in No. 2 spot - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=18425\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dodgers still searching for answer in No. 2 spot - 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