Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Will the person in charge please stop turning up Earth’s thermostat. It’s warm enough now. Are you a true-blue fan? Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more. By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy such as personalizing your experience and ads. There’s a problem in the Dodgers’ offense. Yes, they are near the top in most offensive categories, but, well, let’s see if you can spot it.Batting average/OB%/SLG% by lineup positionBatting first: .275/.378/.522Second: .229/.305/.348Third: .273/.364/.457Fourth: .262/.340/.445Fifth: .247/.333/.406Sixth: .273/.339/.464Seventh: .264/.344/.447Eighth: .269/.341/.410Ninth: .265/.326/.402One of those lines is not like the other. The No. 2 spot in the lineup has been horrible. And it’s not just one person, it’s anyone they try there. A look at each player who has batted in the No. 2 spot this season:Santiago Espinal, 1 for 1Tommy Edman, 2 for 4Andy Pages, .254/.336/.431, 238 plate appearancesKyle Tucker, .238/.330/.333, 97Freddie Freeman, .213/.276/.263, 87Alex Call, 1 for 5Miguel Rojas, 1 for 6Mookie Betts, .149/.196/.234, 51Dalton Rushing, 0 for 1Will Smith, 0 for 8Wow. Everyone who has spent any time in the No. 2 spot is hitting worse than their overall numbers. Last season, the No. 2 position hit .259/.324/.418, which was mainly Betts.Let’s break out the four players who have the most appearances in the No. 2 spot this season and see how well they hit in other positions:Andy PagesBatting second: .254/.336/.431, 238 plate appearancesThird: .167/.200/.167, 25Fourth: .200/.292/.350, 24Fifth: .222/.300/.500, 40Sixth: .375/.394/.781, 33Seventh: .271/.329/.414, 79Eighth: .476/.500/.810, 22Kyle TuckerBatting second: .238/.330/.333, 97First: .222/300/.556. 10Third: .000/.111/.000, 9Fourth: .263/.391/.395, 92Fifth: .226/.329/.387, 73Sixth: .225/.297/.326, 101Seventh: .333/.412/.633, 34Ninth: 0 for 1So hit Pages sixth and Tucker seventh?Freddie FreemanBatting second: .213/.276/.263, 87Third: .328/.421/.572, 273Fourth: .288/.342/.452, 79Fifth: .417/.417/.583, 12So Freeman should bat third.Mookie BettsBatting second: .149/.196/.234, 51First: .125/.125/.500, 8Third: .179/.281/.429, 32Fourth: .261/.326/.436, 181Fifth: .250/.276/.464, 29Betts at cleanup? Should the Dodgers lineup be:Shohei OhtaniTommy EdmanFreddie FreemanMookie BettsMax MuncyAndy PagesKyle TuckerTeoscar HernándezDalton RushingOf course, here we are talking about making changes to the team that is fourth in the majors in runs scored per game (5.15).But why does everyone fall apart in the No. 2 spot? Do the pitchers relax a bit after facing Ohtani and pitch better because of it? Do they concentrate more? Is it just the randomness of baseball? We’ll never know. But right now, the No. 2 spot is a weakness.Editor’s note: Of course, right after I write this, Pages goes five for eight with a double and a homer in the No. 2 spot. The randomness of baseball!Where doesn’t it hurt?We knew that Shohei Ohtani‘s left knee was still bothering him, but it turns out his right biceps is bothering him, too. “My biceps is not 100%,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton while speaking to reporters. “Just [a] similar issue with the knee. Do we consider pushing this? It is still July. So, I think the conversation would be a little different if we’re in August or September.”And the longer Ohtani sits, the more likely he will have to be built back up as a starter. Don’t expect him to come back and pitch seven innings right away.“You know, he’s a starting pitcher, and then, when you start missing three, four, five weeks of that build-up,” Dave Roberts said, “then you’ve got to kind of start up again.”Phil ‘The Vulture’ Regan diesPhil Regan, who had one great and one good season as a relief pitcher with the Dodgers, died earlier this month at 89.In 1966 with the Dodgers, Regan pitched in 65 games and went 14-1, with a 1.62 ERA and a league-leading 21 saves. It was that season where he earned his nickname, “The Vulture.”On Aug. 1, 1966, Sandy Koufax was facing the Pittsburgh Pirates and left after seven innings with the score tied, 1-1. Regan relieved him, and the Dodgers scored four runs to win the game. Afterward, Koufax said to Regan, “You’re getting to be a real scavenger. A vulture, that’s what you are.”Regan went 6-9 with a 2.99 ERA and six saves with the Dodgers in 1967. He pitched in five games for them in 1968, going 2-0 with 3.52 ERA, before he was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with Jim Hickman for Jim Ellis and Ted Savage.Regan last pitched in the majors in 1972 with the Chicago White Sox, who released him in July. His career record was 96-81 with a 3.84 ERA and 92 saves.He went on to become a longtime pitching coach for several teams and managed the Baltimore Orioles during the 1995 season.He came out of retirement at 82 in 2019 to become interim pitching coach for the New York Mets, saying, “Well, I love the game and I love what I’m doing. I know I’m 82 years old now, but I still enjoy it. I feel good. I’m going to retire one of these days, or die, I dont know. One or the other.”Scheduling noteThe next newsletter will be delayed until after the trade deadline so we can discuss what happened, or what didn’t happen, and see what moves other postseason contenders made.Up nextFriday: Boston (*Ranger Suarez, 4-3, 3.02 ERA) at Dodgers (TBD), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020Saturday: Boston (*Payton Tolle, 6-6, 3.32 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-6, 2.72 ERA), 6:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020Sunday: Boston (*Jake Bennett, 6-4, 2.74 ERA) at Dodgers (Emmet Sheehan, 4-7, 4.95 ERA), 4:20 p.m., NBC, Peacock, AM 570, KTNQ 1020All times Pacific*-left-handedIn case you missed itDodgers’ Andrew Friedman addresses Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury and trade deadline approachDodgers Debate: Trade deadline madness‘Do we consider pushing this?’ Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound remains unclearShaikin: The Dodgers’ three-peat chance may never come again. Trade accordinglyDusty Baker’s peers expect him to become the first Black manager in the Hall of FameAnd finallyVin Scully calls Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Watch and listen here. Until next time …Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
