Dodgers Rumors: Three keys to outlast the Rockies and Diamondbacks
By Jason Reed
2. The Dodgers performance against lefties
The Dodgers have struggled against left-handed pitching, that is without a doubt. The team attempted to address this issue in the offseason, bringing in the likes of Franklin Gutierrez and Logan Forsythe. While the team has had some bright spots in these two, and more prominently in right-handed batter Chris Taylor, they need to be better.
There have been some bright spots, such as Forsythe, Taylor, and Justin Turner hitting a combined .362 against southpaws. However, the team as a whole is batting .243 against left-handers, which isn’t as bad as we first thought, but still may not be enough to win the National League West crown.
The Rockies, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks rank fifth, sixth, and seventh in total at-bats against left-handed pitching, so it is apparent the trio will evenly be battling it out against dreaded southpaws.
The Rockies have thrived, batting a fifth best .271 and have slugged a second best 24 long bombs. Arizona is batting .236, slugging 18 home runs, which is good enough for the 19th and 14th best marks in baseball. The Dodgers are right in between both teams with their .243 average and 21 home runs.
Thus far, the standings in the National League West have directly correlated to the teams’ performance against left-handed pitching. The Dodgers don’t need to be amazing, but they need to outperform the Rockies.