Home runs were something of a rarity this season at Globe Life Field, potentially giving the NLDS between the power-hitting Dodgers and Padres a different dynamic.
Dodgers team leaders Justin Turner and Mookie Betts gathered their teammates on the field and delivered words ahead of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres.if you really square it up,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, noting the team’s analytics department estimates about 10 extra feet of carry on fly balls if the stadium’s roof remains open as expected.
“But certainly, getting the ball moving forward and getting baserunners, however you do it, is most important.” It’s fair to wonder whether the Dodgers have that club in the bag. Though they led baseball in runs, they ranked 11th in batting average, 12th in doubles and 12th in walk rate.In the 11 games in which they failed to hit a home run, they lost seven. And though they had the league’s best “hard hit” percentage and second-best fly-ball-to-grounder ratio, they ranked 22nd in line drive rate.
In other words, they’re a team made up of fly-ball hitters. Whether that approach — which Roberts and Betts said isn’t going to change because of the venue — will continue work this week remains to be seen. “I think we’ve done it at times,” Roberts said of scoring without the homer, citing his team’s ability to draw walks and produce well-timed hits in last week’s wild card series as the most recent example.“I think that if you look at a lot of the guys, whether it’s [Justin Turner], whether it’s Mookie, whether it’s Corey [Seager], Chris Taylor, we’ve built some innings, getting guys that can find some outfield grass and not just for the homer.
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