Welcome to the California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where we review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of the season.
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Will the Dodgers ever find an answer to their two-hole curse?
The Dodgers might have the most potent leadoff hitter in baseball in Shohei Ohtani. But their search for someone to hit behind him continues to drag on entering the stretch run of the season.
All year, the team’s two-hole has seemed to be a cursed spot in the batting order.
Kyle Tucker flopped initially (.238 average, .663 OPS in 21 games batting second). Experiments with Freddie Freeman (.220 average, .562 OPS in 25 games) and Mookie Betts (.149 average, .430 OPS in 11 games) didn’t work.
And while Andy Pages has manned the role the best (.264 average, .769 OPS in a team-high 66 games), even those numbers represent a decline from his blistering start to the season.
Overall, it has given the Dodgers among the worst two-hole production in the majors this year, with the club ranking 25th in average (.238), 28th in OPS (.668) and 29th in home runs (12) from that batting order spot this year.
It has also left manager Dave Roberts scrambling for answers, reverting back to batting Freeman second this week against a string of right-handed starters.
At this point, the only other feasible solution that has yet to be tested is catcher Will Smith, who continues to progress in his recovery from his neck injury and this week was scheduled to take simulated at-bats in live batting practice.
Then again, Smith has also batted below .200 in limited time as a two-hole hitter in his career.
For a Dodgers offense trying to find more consistency and maximize the threat Ohtani provides at the top of the order, it continues to pose a serious problem. And until the curse is broken, it’ll keep their lineup from clicking on all cylinders.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Andy Pages (9-for-25, 2 home runs, 4 RBIs this week; .272 average, 21 home runs, 80 RBIs, .797 OPS this season)
As if on cue, Pages moved back down to the No. 3 spot in the batting order this week and immediately had one of his most consistent stretches since the start of the season.
Granted, Pages had a home run and three hits while batting second last Friday against the Brewers. But it was how he played in the four games after that, upon moving down a spot to the three-hole, that really stood out.
Pages went 5-for-16 with a home run and a double during that stretch. He had RBIs in back-to-back games, something he had only done twice since initially taking over the two-spot. Most notably, he struck out only once in 18 plate appearances, flashing the kind of improved swing decisions that keyed his scorching opening month.
Pages is now batting .292 in August, his best mark since his .321 mark in March/April.
After a midseason slump that almost saw his season-long average dip into the .250s last month, he’s back to being an impact bat at the top of the order.
Whether he slides back up to the two-hole — and can sustain his production if he does — remains the question now.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Brock Stewart (1 inning, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts this week; 2.30 ERA, 15 ⅔ innings, 16 strikeouts this season)
It was only one outing, after yet another stint on the injured list.
But in his return from his latest shoulder issue this week, Stewart offered a quick reminder of the value he could provide as a leverage arm in the Dodgers’ bullpen.
On Wednesday against the Rockies, Stewart pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning in which he struck out two batters and reached 97.5 mph with his fastball, nearly a couple ticks above his season average. He pounded the strike zone and got whiffs on four of nine swings, unfazed even by facing a couple left-handed batters.
Stewart has been easy to forget since rejoining the Dodgers last year. The right-hander missed last year’s playoffs after undergoing shoulder surgery. He opened this season on the IL while completing his recovery from the procedure. And he has twice been sidelined again since, first because of a bone spur on his foot before his latest shoulder setback this month.
“Super frustrating,” he said after going back on the IL a few weeks ago. “I mean, I’ve been through this, as you guys know, a lot. It’s almost embarrassing.”
Now, however, he is back and — in the wake of so many other injuries to the Dodgers’ relief corps — primed to play an important part late in games, making his auspicious return this week an encouraging sign for him and the team.
PROSPECT OF THE WEEK
Jackson Ferris (5 scoreless innings, 9 strikeouts in AAA this week; 2-5 record, 6.69 ERA in AAA this year)
You might remember Ferris, who was the other player (along with since-departed Tarik Skubal trade piece Zyhir Hope) the Dodgers acquired for Michael Busch a couple years ago.
Well, we won’t pretend to tell you the left-hander is having a good season. But he had an intriguing start this past week, one that showed why the left-hander — who is still only 22 years old — remains a name to watch in the Dodgers’ farm system, especially as the team looks for more upper-minors pitching in the years to come.
