Dodgers Dugout: How do the Dodgers do in clutch hitting situations?

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and the Dodgers have won 12 of 14 and are on pace to win 108 games. The “this team is horrible” people have gone silent, for now. All that hopping on and off the bandwagon must be exhausting.

One area that the Dodgers are often criticized for is poor clutch hitting. Is it true? Let’s take a look at three areas: batting with runners in scoring position, with two out and runners in scoring position, and “late and close” which is defined as any at-bat in the seventh inning or later when your team is tied, ahead by one, or trailing with the tying run at least on deck. All numbers are through Wednesday.

By the way, this will be one of those stat-based newsletters that some of you hate, so you might want to skip to the end if that is you.

Teams with the best and worst batting average with runners in scoring position:

1. Texas, .314
2. Atlanta, .300
3. Kansas City, .296
4. Cleveland, .293
5. Philadelphia, .289

9. Dodgers, .279

26. Oakland, .217
27. Pittsburgh, .208
28. Toronto, .202
29. St. Louis, .201
30. Chicago White Sox, .198
Major league average: .256

Two out and runners in scoring position:

1. Texas, .309
2. Atlanta, .291
3. Philadelphia, .286
4. New York Mets, .273
5. Baltimore, .261

13. Dodgers, .236

26. Seattle, .179
27. Colorado, .175
28. Oakland, .168
29. St. Louis, .135
30. Chicago White Sox, .131
Major league average: .227

Late and Close

1. Atlanta, .297
2. Washington, .291
3. San Diego, .289
4. Baltimore, .279
4. St. Louis, .274

21. Dodgers, .219

26. New York Mets, .179
27. Oakland, .179
28. Boston, .177
29. Arizona, .169
30. Cincinnati, .169
Major league average: .233

So the Dodgers are pretty much middle-of-the-pack.

Last season, the Dodgers were third at batting with runners in scoring position (.276), sixth with two out and runners in scoring position (.257) and 11th in late and close situations (.240).

They averaged 5.59 runs per game last season and 5.49 so far this season.

Don’t get too concerned about the Dodgers leading the league in runners left on base. Frequently, the teams with the best offense leads or is near the lead in left on base, simply because they have more runners on base than other team. If a team wins 7-0, but leaves five on base while the other team leaves one on base, which team has the best offense?

The team that has left the most runners on base since 1950? The 1976 Cincinnati Reds, which had one of the best offenses of all time. They left 1,328 men on base and won 102 games, averaging 5.3 runs per game. The L.A. Dodgers record is 1,224 left on base, by the 2009 Dodgers, who won 95 games.

The Dodgers’ team on-base percentage is .354, which easily outdistances the runner-up Yankees at .338.

Let’s look at individual Dodgers this season.

With runners in scoring position:

Mookie Betts, .519 (14 for 27, 3 doubles, 1 homer, 21 RBIs, 8 walks, 1 K)
Gavin Lux, .375 (9 for 24, 1 double, 1 homer, 7 RBIs, 2 walks, 5 K’s
Will Smith, .350 (14 for 40, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 21 RBIs, 8 walks, 7 K’s)
Freddie Freeman, .311 (14 for 45, 3 doubles, 17 RBIs, 13 walks, 8 K’s)
Andy Pages, .250 (3 for 12, 1 double, 1 homers, 9 RBIs, 0 walks, 3 K’s)
Jason Heyward, .250 (1 for 4, 2 RBIs, 1 K)
Teoscar Hernández, .245 (12 for 49, 3 doubles, 3 homers, 20 RBIs, 6 walks, 20 K’s
Max Muncy, .238 (10 for 42, 3 homers, 18 RBIs, 6 walks, 17 K’s)
Shohei Ohtani, .225 (9 for 40, 2 doubles, 11 RBIs, 4 walks, 7 K’s)
Kiké Hernández, .222 (4 for 18, 1 double, 5 RBIs, 3 walks, 3 K’s)
Chris Taylor, .200 (2 for 10, 5 RBIs, 5 walks, 4 K’s)
Austin Barnes, .200 (2 for 10, 1 double, 2 RBIs, 3 K’s)
Miguel Rojas, .182 (2 for 11, 4 RBIs, 3 walks, 1 K)
James Outman, .138 (4 for 29, 1 double, 1 homer, 7 RBIs, 1 walk, 8 K’s
Taylor Trammell, 0 for 1

Two out and runners in scoring position:

Miguel Rojas, .500 (2 for 4, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 1 K)
Jason Heyward, .500 (1 for 2, 1 RBI)
Mookie Betts, .429 (6 for 14, 1 double, 1 homer, 11 RBIs, 3 walks)
Will Smith, .333 (5 for 15, 5 RBIs, 6 walks, 2 K’s)
Chris Taylor, .333 (1 for 3, 3 RBIs, 1 walk)
Gavin Lux, .313 (5 for 16, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 4 K’s)
Andy Pages, .286 (2 for 7, 1 double, 1 homer, 5 RBIs)
Teoscar Hernández, .250 (5 for 20, 1 homer, 8 RBIs, 4 walks, 8 K’s)
Max Muncy, .200 (4 for 20, 5 RBIs, 2 walks, 9 K’s)
Shohei Ohtani, .188 (3 for 16, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 2 K’s)
Freddie Freeman, .167 (3 for 18, 1 double, 5 RBIs, 5 walks, 5 K’s)
Kiké Hernández, .111 (1 for 9, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 K)
Austin Barnes, .000 (0 for 4, 1 K)
James Outman, .000 (0 for 12, 5 K’s)
Taylor Trammell, 0 for 1

Late and close:

Will Smith, .400 (6 for 15, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 3 walks, 1 K)
Freddie Freeman, .375 (6 for 16, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 4 walks, 2 K’s)
Andy Pages, .364 (4 for 11, 1 RBI, 3 K’s)
Shohei Ohtani, .250 (5 for 20, 1 double, 2 homers, 3 RBIs, 3 walks, 3 K’s)
Mookie Betts, .227 (5 for 22, 1 double, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 4 walks, 3 K’s)
Teoscar Hernández, .222 (4 for 18, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 7 K’s)
Miguel Rojas, .222 (2 for 9, 1 RBI)
James Outman, .214 (3 for 14, 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 8 K’s)
Max Muncy, .211 (4 for 19, 1 homer, 4 RBIs, 4 walks, 6 K’s)
Gavin Lux, .067 (1 for 15, 1 walk, 5 K’s)
Austin Barnes, 0 for 3, 2 walks, 1 K
Chris Taylor, 0 for 5, 2 walks, 2 K’s
Kiké Hernández, 0 for 10, 1 RBI, 2 K’s
Jason Heyward, 0 for 3, 1 K
Taylor Trammell, 0 for 3, 3 K’s

Remember when?

Remember when the bullpen was terrible and the rotation was in a shambles? Well, the Dodgers have since, um, deshamblized. They have a 1.93 ERA in May and the bullpen has given up only one earned run all month.

Overall, the Dodgers are now fourth in the majors in ERA at 3.25, sixth in rotation ERA at 3.26 and sixth in bullpen ERA at 3.24.

And with Walker Buehler back and having close to his old velocity (with some unsurprising rust), things should only get better.

Miguel Rojas is a gem

Mike DiGiovanna has a good story on how Max Muncy’s defense has improved this season (you can read it here). In it, he details all of the hard work Muncy has put in to improve. But my favorite part of the story is about Miguel Rojas. This newsletter was very hard on Rojas’ lack of hitting last season (and he’s hitting much better this year), but his defense has always been exemplary. But, as another indication of the value of Rojas, read this:

Muncy also credits the daily tutelage of veteran Dodgers utility infielder Miguel Rojas, who worked extensively with Gavin Lux at shortstop before Lux was moved to second base because of his erratic arm in early March, and has helped ease Mookie Betts’ transition from second base to shortstop.

“Miggy Ro comes up to me every single day and tells me the things I’m doing well, the things I’m doing wrong — he’s holding me accountable,” Muncy said. “And I think Mookie would say the same thing, that Miggy has been kind of our second infield coach next to Dino and has been trying to help us out as much as possible.”

The Dodgers did not ask the slick-fielding Rojas, 35, to take on more of a mentorship role this season. Rojas, the team’s regular shortstop last season, assumed it on his own.

“I give him a lot of credit because understanding your role on a ball club is really important,” manager Dave Roberts said of Rojas. “Everyone wants to play every day, but to feel you can do things that are additive, that help your teammates and help us win baseball games … he’s done that.

“Mookie would be the first to tell you that if it wasn’t for Miguel, he wouldn’t be where he’s at right now. And for Muncy and Lux, seeing a player like Rojas pride himself so much on defense and getting off the ball, throwing it over there accurately, having the intensity and the focus every pitch, that’s contagious.”

Kershaw update

Clayton Kershaw threw 20 pitches off the bullpen mound on Tuesday, and all looked good. He is still on a timetable to return after the All-Star break, probably in August.

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 6-1, 2.70 ERA) at San Diego (Michael King, 3-3, 4.29 ERA), 6:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Saturday: Dodgers (*James Paxton, 4-0, 3.06 ERA) at San Diego (Matt Waldron, 1-4, 5.82 ERA), 5:40 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Sunday: Dodgers (Walker Buehler, 0-0, 6.75 ERA) at San Diego (Yu Darvish, 2-1, 2.94 ERA), 1:10 p.m., Sportsnet LA, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

‘He’s on a mission’: How Max Muncy quelled concerns about his defense at third base

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter agrees to plead guilty to stealing $17 million

Hernández: Walker Buehler’s return was encouraging. Can he can build on it?

Dodgers put Joe Kelly on injured list because of shoulder strain

Plaschke: Shohei Ohtani has sweeping Dodgers dreaming of a different October

And finally

Steve Sax, Dave Anderson, Mike Marshall and Greg Brock appear on the game show “Body Language.” Watch and listen here.