Dodgers News: Analyzing Three Takeaways from Game Two
By Evan Lovett
The Recurrence of the Lefty Nightmare
The Dodgers ranked last in just about every category against left-handed pitchers in 2016, hitting .213 with a woeful .612 OPS and only 37 home runs. The acquisitions of Logan Forsythe and Franklin Gutierrez were supposed to provide an elixir for what manager Dave Roberts called “the perfect storm” of factors for their aversion to hitting southpaws.
Gutierrez and Forsythe figured prominently in yesterday’s lineup against Richard, with Forsythe at the top slot and Gutierrez hitting clean up. The duo combined for three harmless singles and a walk in six at-bats. For good measure, they were erased three times on double plays.
And therein lies the problem – the Dodgers were rolling over time and time again against Richard. He pitched eight scoreless innings – 24 outs – and created 16 outs on the ground. The Dodgers were vexed by his three-quarter delivery, trying to pull outside pitches and getting tied up on inside pitches. Hitting coach Turner Ward and assistant hitting coach Tim Hyers spent the majority of last season and this offseason figuring out solutions and new approaches for the team.
At least for one day, even with the return of supposed lefty-killer Scott Van Slyke joining the new acquisitions, it was the same story as 2016.