:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59343287/usa_today_10369254.0.jpg)
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers return home trying to jump start an offense that scored just 15 runs on a five-game road trip, with nearly half of that total coming in the first game of the trip.
On the season the Dodgers are hitting just .213/.285/.293 and averaging just 3.22 runs per game.
“Offensively we’ve been sort of in and out, but the contact that we’ve put forth has been pretty good. It just hasn’t found outfield grass,” manager Dave Roberts said. “If we continue to have good at-bats and pitch the way we have, we’ll be fine.”
Starting lineups
| Pos | A's | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | A's | Pos | Dodgers |
| SS | Semien | CF | Taylor |
| 3B | Chapman | SS | Seager (L) |
| 2B | Lowrie (S) | RF | Puig |
| LF | Davis | 2B | Hernandez |
| 1B | Olson (L) | LF | Kemp |
| C | Lucroy | 1B | Bellinger (L) |
| RF | Piscotty | 3B | Forsythe |
| CF | Smolinksi | C | Barnes |
| P | Manaea | P | Ryu |
The Dodgers have a .262 batting average on balls in play, 29th in majors. The major league BABIP this season is .287.
Nine of the 12 Dodgers hitters have a weighted on-base average (wOBA) lower than their expected wOBA based on their batted ball profile. Chief among those affected have been Corey Seager (.235 actual wOBA, .374 expected wOBA), Chris Taylor (.213 wOBA, .324 xwOBA), Logan Forsythe (.216 wOBA, .317 xwOBA) and Kiké Hernandez (.218 wOBA, .316 xwOBA).
“You’re going to hear ‘It’s early’ a little bit longer, and we’re still trying to stay away from being results-driven,” Roberts said.
On the mend
Third baseman Justin Turner and pitcher Tom Koehler are back in Los Angeles with the team and will continue their rehab at Dodger Stadium next week when the team heads to San Diego for a brief, three-game road trip.
Koehler is dealing with a right shoulder strain and still hasn’t thrown a baseball. Turner, who has a wrist fracture, has thrown but hasn’t yet hit, still experiencing pain in the wrist. Roberts said Turner might be more active, baseball activities-wise, next week.
“I haven’t touched a bat yet. I don’t know when I’m going to,” Turner said. “It sucks.”
Debut II
J.T. Chargois was a two-way player at Rice, mixing outfield with his pitching, but never got to bat as a professional until he grounded out against Giants reliever Pierce Johnson on Saturday in San Francisco.
“I have so many friends who have spent their entire careers having a moment like that in the major leagues, and being on deck I just couldn’t put it all together,” Chargois said. “It was another debut moment. It was incredible.”
Chargois was a switch-hitter in college but batted right-handed against the right-handed Johnson. The reason?
“My helmet is a right-hander’s helmet, so that determined everything,” he said.
Since Clayton Kershaw singled in both at-bats on opening day Dodgers pitchers are 0-for-18 with 10 strikeouts and three sacrifice bunts.
Notes
Joc Pederson took more ground balls at first base before batting practice on Tuesday, a position he has never played professionally.
“The chance of him getting into a major league game have increased exponentially since spring training,” Roberts said. “It just gives us more options and makes us more versatile.”
The Dodgers have won their last nine interleague home games — in the regular season, that is — and in the previous three seasons were 22-8 (.733) against American League teams at Dodger Stadium.