Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Mookie Betts Not Worried About LA’s Struggles

The Dodgers are mired in a mini tailspin, losing each of their last 4 games in new and increasingly frustrating ways. Starting pitching has kept the team in games, but has given up early leads to the Padres and now Cubs over this stretch of struggling. However, the real problem has been the offense.

Over the last 5 games, the Dodgers are batting .137 (19-138), scoring just 7 runs over the last 40 innings. The club has slipped to 4.5 back of the Giants for first place in the NL West.



Despite all the bad, LA outfielder Mookie Betts isn’t overly concerned with the immediate. He knows that each season has its ebbs and flows.

We play 162 games. I don’t know very many teams that are hot for 162 games. You go with the waves and that’s pretty much it.

These Dodgers have been streaky in 2021. They’ve rattled off a pair of 8 game winning streaks in stretches where they’ve gone 13-2 and 12-1. But the winning streaks have been accompanied by stretches where they’ve lost 15 of 20 and 8 of 12. And now the most recent 4 straight losses.  

Related: Justin Turner Blames Sloppy Play for LA’s Swoon

Mookie has struggled himself with consistency all season long. Playing through a myriad of nagging injuries and, most recently, a stomach bug, the 28-year-old is down to a career-worst .247 average over 63 games. By the numbers, he isn’t having a bad season (.818 OPS 131 wRC+), but it’s not up to his standards for sure.

And the same could be said for most of the hitters in the Dodger lineup. As a whole, the numbers look fine (.743 OPS, 3rd in the NL) but dig a little deeper and you’ll see that LA’s team stats have been inflated by several blow out games.

There’s still plenty of season left, but these consistently inconsistent Dodgers need to start putting the pieces together offensively. Cody Bellinger is finally back in the lineup again. Max Muncy has returned from the injured list, and the hope is that Corey Seager can follow suit in the next few weeks. It’s as good a time as any to start swinging the bats, boys.

NEXT: Dodgers Honor Joc Pederson’s LA Career with Tear Jerking Video

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

10 Comments

  1. The thing is they were hot for 2 weeks and nothing since. Let’s face it we’re approaching July and Bellinger hasn’t even played he’s got 1 homer and is batting .220 and can’t stay on the field. He was supposed to be back fully a couple weeks ago. McKinstry was good got injured and is being jerked around, will he ever get hot again with that kind of usage? Betts still has yet to have a significant stretch. Lux is batting .230 he’s a complete bust. The rotation is overrated giving up bombs left and right the bullpen has been mediocre at best for the whole year but the biggest issue is this team doesn’t know how to play team baseball and they have no determination whatsoever. The Padres and Giants aren’t just getting lucky they have the statistics to back it up and they’re better and more willing to do whatever it takes to win games against us. The dodgers don’t have that same mindset when they play them

  2. Mookie “MLB” Betts (50) should be concerned about this team struggles but more importantly about himself he is not the same player he was last year in 2020 he was a Beast! In 2021 after the CV Jab he is fragile and weak! he is like a whole different player wow it’s a shame!

  3. Betts may not be worried but I am. This goes back to when the Dodgers won a game with 4 hits and not for the first 5 innings with only 3 hits. What ever is going on the batters need to stop closing their eyes when swinging the bat. I sometimes worry that perhaps we over rated the team. Getting no hits is a real eye opener. To many game have gone by with 3,4,5 hits. I will be watching tonight for a closer look

  4. Exactly what I don’t want to hear. Can’t blame the front office…they seem to spend for what they expect to be top tier guys to drive this offense. If the problem isn’t the front office, then it has to be the coaching. This ‘don’t chase’ mentality is good for being patient at the plate, but it also leads to lethargy and intimidation. Robert’s needs to change this approach and the hitting coaches need to be replaced with more aggressive approach techniques. When a batter stops into the box, he better be ready to hit, not walk. Nothing going to change until this timid offensive philosophy is replaced with a more aggressive one. For crying out loud, we seem to have the guys…but they stagnate with this philosophy. Change at the top of the dugout will fix our timid hitters…I think.

    1. You said it perfectly. Be ready to hit, as soon as you step into the box–just like Padres and Giants hitters are ready when they step into the box against Dodgers’ pitchers. The 1st inning HR’s that Dodger SP’s have given up in 5 consecutive games should be a huge wake up call and an example to follow for the Dodgers. You can be disciplined and still “hunt” pitches early in the AB and we have to see more of that from this team, the 2nd half.

  5. The Dodgers offense has been HR heavy and BB heavy for years, resulting in some inefficiency. However, this season, the Dodgers aren’t hitting as many HR’s and are not making up for that with more hits and more small ball. Too often, that creates a huge hole because this team just doesn’t get many hits. It’s routine for the Dodgers to average just 5 or 6 hits in a game (if they even get that many) and the ballclub seems pretty content or even resigned to that being just the way it is. The only way this is going to change the 2nd half of the season, is if Betts hits .285+, Seager (when he returns) hits at least at an All-Star level and Bellinger stops his regression and hits at least .260+ with consistent power. Those 3 players 2nd half performances are critical for the Dodgers success offensively.

  6. No real RH big bat,no real dominant closer, and the inability to hit lefties will doom this team. Third place unfortunately is awaiting us.

  7. One of my favorite guys on the team has always been CT3, and for the most part, he has been the guy this year, and I’m glad. He will forgive me however as I use him as an example for a horrible at-bat. Against Musgrove in San Diego, I watched him take three mediocre fast balls right down the middle for a strikeout. Obviously he was looking for a breaking ball, and Musgrove knew it. Bad medicine Mr, CT3, but it illustrates my point. As an offense, maybe we should stop thinking so much and employ some very basic hitting principals…see the ball, hit the ball…and be ready to hit when you step into the box. If it’s a fast ball down the middle, hunt it! If you miss it, fine…get it next time. I hate this walk philosophy that Robert’s preaches.

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