Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Nearly Pulled Trigger On Pinch Hitting for Chris Taylor

The Dodgers lost another rough one on Tuesday, this time at the hands of an anemic offense that had only 3 hits during the 9 inning affair. The club’s best scoring chance came in the sixth inning when they loaded up the bases with nobody out. Struggling utility man Chris Taylor came to the plate with the Dodgers chasing 2 runs. Taylor struck out swinging on 4 pitches.

After the game, manager Dave Roberts revealed he nearly hit for CT in the situation. He actually gave it a lot of thought.

“I thought about it. Obviously I had Muncy on the bench right there. But I just felt that Chris could move the ball forward. I thought about it but didn’t pull the trigger.”

There’s no saying that Muncy was guaranteed to have fared better, but given the continued struggles of Taylor, Max certainly seemed like the better option in that situation.

Taylor, who is 3-31 this season (.097) addressed reporters about his struggles after the game. The veteran is trying to keep his head up through the continued difficult stretch.

“It’s discouraging, but that’s part of the game. I mean, I have my days where I feel good in BP and in the cage, and then just not translate it over to the game. Sometimes that’s mechanics. Sometimes it’s just pitch selection or approach. I feel like, mechanically, I was in not the best spot. … I’m still not quite right. I think you got to just keep going and understand that, it’s still early in the season, and like I said, just come in with a fresh mindset, keep working, keep your head down, move forward.”

Via Bill Plunkett, OC Register

He’s batting just .210 since signing a 4 year, $60 million deal to stay in LA after his All-Star 2021 campaign. He’s also struck out 174 times in just 127 games.

Taylor wasn’t the only problem for the Dodgers on Tuesday, but he’s approaching a critical crossroads in his career if he doesn’t rebound soon.