{"id":8983,"date":"2026-05-23T06:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T06:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8983"},"modified":"2026-05-23T06:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T06:32:27","slug":"dodgers-will-smith-getting-a-little-bit-of-a-break-to-re-set-amid-slump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=8983","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers\u2019 Will Smith getting \u2018a little bit of a break to re-set\u2019 amid slump"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MILWAUKEE \u2014 Will Smith is going to have a lot of time on his hands this weekend.<\/p>\n

Coming off the team off day on Thursday, Smith was not in the starting lineup for Friday\u2019s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he planned to start backup catcher Dalton Rushing in two of the three games this weekend to give Smith \u201ca little bit of a break to re-set.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more UCLA baseball rallies past Purdue to reach Big Ten Tournament semifinals<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI think just for me the last few weeks Will has been grinding,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI\u2019ve caught him a lot. He\u2019s working on his swing. So for me, to give him two days off \u2013 one to kind of re-set, the off day (Thursday), this one to watch a game and work on his swing and not have to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both Roberts and Smith insisted there was \u201cnothing physical\u201d behind the decision to sit Smith.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel good,\u201d said Smith, who did miss time with a lower back issue in late April. \u201cThat was just a couple days and it went away. I\u2019m 100 percent.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s a little weird (of the back-to-back off days this week). But it\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most of his teammates, Smith\u2019s offensive production has not been all good this season. He took a .246 batting average and a .669 OPS into the weekend series with just four hits in his past 27 at-bats (.148) and only one extra-base hit in his past 12 games.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast game, a few things clicked for me,\u201d Smith said of working on \u201csome lower-half stuff, some arm positioning and then just some timing things.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cOverall, it\u2019s been very close all year. Just trying to find a way to barrel up some more balls.\u201d<\/p>\n

During the series in San Diego this week, Roberts dropped Smith in the lineup, batting him lower than fifth for the first time this season. Roberts commented that Smith was \u201cnot hitting the fastball\u201d during his slump.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I feel like I\u2019m hitting fastballs hard,\u201d Smith said of that. \u201cThey\u2019re just hard to right field. Especially line drives in the gap that are getting caught. Overall, I\u2019ve been hitting the ball hard \u2013 just to right field. I\u2019m not pulling it and we think that\u2019s a mechanical issue.<\/p>\n

Read more UCLA softball stifles Central Florida in NCAA Super Regional opener<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

IN RELIEF<\/h4>\n

Going into the series in Milwaukee, the Dodgers\u2019 bullpen had not been charged with a run for 29 consecutive innings, the longest scoreless streak by Dodgers\u2019 relievers since the 1998 season.<\/p>\n

Overall through Thursday, the Dodgers\u2019 bullpen ranked first in the National League in ERA (3.03), second in WHIP (1.14) and batting average against (.206) and had actually been better (a 2.38 ERA) since Edwin Diaz\u2019s last appearance on April 19.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re just going after guys,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI haven\u2019t dug into the 29 innings but I just know there haven\u2019t been a lot of free bases. We\u2019re playing good defense behind them. They\u2019ve all answered the bell when called upon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Only one team\u2019s bullpen (the Arizona Diamondbacks) has walked fewer batters than the Dodgers (61) through Thursday.<\/p>\n

SERIES SWEEP<\/h4>\n

The Dodgers-Brewers series this weekend is a rematch of last year\u2019s National League Championship Series, swept in four games by the Dodgers. During the regular season, though, the Brewers dominated, sweeping the six-game season series.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really good team. I don\u2019t think people appreciate how well this team plays baseball,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of fanfare as far as name recognition. But the way (Brewers manager) Pat Murphy gets these guys to play, it\u2019s a fun brand of baseball. They don\u2019t strike out much. They put the ball in play. They bunt, they hit and run, they steal bases, they can pitch. It\u2019s a good matchup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite their annual lack of star power, the Brewers have won the NL Central four of the past five seasons and lead the division again this year.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/h4>\n

Dodgers (RHP Roki Sasaki, 2-3, 5.09 ERA) at Brewers (LHP Robert Gasser, 0-0, 4.50 ERA), Saturday, 4:15 p.m., FOX (Ch.\u00a011), 570 AM<\/p>\n

Read more Brewers get to Justin Wrobleski in 1st inning, beat Dodgers in series opener<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smith has just four hits in his past 27 at-bats and only one extra-base hit in his past 12 games. 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