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Dodgers looking for more out of left field

Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

There are no real surprises in Monday night's Dodgers lineup in their series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Yasiel Puig starts for a second straight day in right field, which shifts Andre Ethier to left field, batting sixth, looking to turn things around.

Ethier is in a 3-for-33 (.091) slump in his last 12 games, and part of a collective June swoon by Dodgers left fielders. This month, Dodgers left fielders are hitting just .208/.261/.366 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 28 games.

It hasn't been just Ethier struggling. He accounted for 46 of the plate appearances, with Alex Guerrero amassing 36 PA as a left fielder this month. The others to bat as a left fielder in June are Kiké Hernandez (11 PA), Scott Van Slyke (nine PA), Chris Heisey (six PA) and Scott Schebler (three PA).

The struggle also hasn't just been in June. On the season, Dodgers left fielders have hit just .216/.269/.383 with eight home runs and 29 RBI, dead last in the National League in on-base percentage, 14th in batting average, 12th in OPS, ninth in slugging percentage, 12th in wOBA (.282) and 12th in wRC+ (80).

Ethier has had a productive season on the whole, but most of his time has been filling in for Puig in right field. With Ethier now in left, and with Scott Van Slyke back healthy, the production in left field should increase going forward, maybe even significantly.