Dodgers News: Mookie Betts Feels Recent Hot Streak Has Nothing to Do with Visit to Boston
Mookie Betts has been on a tear in August.
He has had at least one hit in each of his last 11 games and has seen his batting average rise from .279 on Aug. 1 to .308 at the time of this writing. In the Aug. 23 game against the Cleveland Guardians, Betts went 5-for-5 at the plate with 2 RBIs.
Now, the Dodgers head to Betts’ old stomping grounds to begin a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
Betts says that he won’t feel any added pressure when he takes his first at-bat at Fenway, given that he led the Red Sox to a World Series win in 2018, coincidentally over the Dodgers.
“Nah. They’ve seen enough. These couple games won’t mean anything,” Betts said. “But I want to continue to play well just for me, to show myself, to be consistent – like I’ve always been saying for the last three or four years. I just want to continue to do that. But if I play well, cool. If not, that’s cool too. As long as we win. That’s the No. 1 thing. But I’m definitely excited to see how this all plays out.”
(Via The Orange County Register)
Betts has now overtaken teammate Freddie Freeman as the second-highest favored player to win the National League MVP award, behind the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr.
Betts has been the fuel to the Dodgers’ red-hot August. The Boys in Blue have lost just three of their 22 games played in August and are safely on top in the NL West division, with a 12-game lead over the Diamondbacks and Giants.
Betts will likely surpass his career-high for home runs in a season, needing just two more homers to beat his 35-home run season in 2022.
Betts has won the Most Valuable Player award before, but never in the National League. In his World Series-winning 2018 season, Betts was given the nod in the American League. The right fielder slashed .346/.438/.640 with 32 home runs, 80 RBIs and a 10.9 wins above replacement rating.
While Acuna Jr. will be tough to beat out, Betts could become just the second player to win the MVP award in both the American and National Leagues after Frank Robinson.
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