The Los Angeles Dodgers may be sitting atop the NL West again, but don’t let that fool you. Not everyone’s thrilled. And no one more so than manager Dave Roberts, who made it very clear Monday night.
He’s got a problem with the way his team, Teoscar Hernández in particular, is playing defense.
The Dodgers’ Win Column Isn’t Hiding Their Flaws
Let’s set the scene: Dodgers up 2-0 early on the last-place Colorado Rockies, coasting toward what should’ve been a routine win at Coors Field. Dalton Rushing drives in a run. Shohei Ohtani slaps in another. Things are humming. But then, everything — and I mean everything — unraveled.
Cue Teoscar Hernández, who’s been a regular in right field all season, starting over 100 games out there. But on Monday? He cost them. Big time.
Brenton Doyle leads off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. Then he bloops a single into right — one that Hernández probably should’ve caught. Not only did he miss it, but then he threw to third, allowing Doyle to take second. That mistake turned a harmless single into second and third with no outs. One base hit later, two Rockies runs crossed the plate. Tie game.
Roberts didn’t sugarcoat it. “I don’t know if he would’ve had a play on that one,” he admitted. “I know it shouldn’t have been second and third… He’s got to get better out there. There’s just no way to put it. I know there’s effort — it’s not a lack of effort… But we’ve just got to get better.”
Then came the dagger. Tied 3-3 in the ninth, Ezequiel Tovar sent a fly ball to right. Again, Hernández couldn’t haul it in. It glanced off his glove and turned into a leadoff double. Two pitches later? Walk-off single. Rockies win. Dodgers stunned.
Hernández faced the music postgame, saying, “I tried to make the play. I didn’t. It came off my glove, unfortunately. Things happen. I just have to wash it. This game is over with.”
Sure, but Roberts isn’t washing anything just yet.
The Postseason Elephant in the Outfield
The uncomfortable truth is the Dodgers are heading to the playoffs, but they’ve got a serious liability in right field. Hernández’s glove has been borderline poor all season. He ranks 38th in defensive outs above average (minus-10), and his .990 fielding percentage ranks 11th among 14 qualifying right fielders. He’s simply not cutting it.
And yet, he’s still going to play. Why? Because his bat matters. He’s second on the team in RBIs (74), tied for second in home runs (20), and owns a .749 OPS. Roberts knows he can’t afford to sit him.
“He’s going to be in the lineup,” Roberts said. “He’s [due] up third in the top half [of the 10th], so I’m not going to take him out of the game.”
But here’s where it gets real: Roberts added, “Defense is a big part of postseason baseball and winning baseball. So yeah, he’s just got to continue to get better.”
Translation? If Teoscar wants to be more than a bat in October, he’d better figure out how to be more than a liability in the field. Because in the postseason, one missed play can end a season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are winning. But they’re walking a tightrope. And right now, their right fielder is wobbling.
