Pages’ Offensive Struggles

Andy Pages is batting .077 ⁣in the current⁤ playoffs and ⁣went 0-for-4 with two⁤ strikeouts in Game 1 of the Fall Classic, including a crucial ‍strikeout‍ with the bases loaded and only one out, according to reports from the game.

Despite these struggles, Los Angeles Dodgers manager ‍Dave⁣ Roberts ⁤is maintaining ⁤Pages ‍in the lineup, again batting ninth for game 2.

Defensive Value and Lineup Considerations

Roberts acknowledged he had⁣ “contemplated” removing Pages from the‍ lineup, potentially replacing him with a ⁤contact hitter ⁢like Alex Call, but has decided against it for now. A key factor in the decision is pages’ strong defensive play‍ in center field, as noted by Roberts in post-game interviews.

“He’s playing very sound defense,” roberts ⁣said, “which ⁢is a big part of ‍why he’s in there.”

Edman’s Injury ‍Limits Options

The dodgers’ options are further limited by Tommy Edman’s ongoing ankle injury, preventing him from playing in the outfield as he did in the previous postseason.⁣ Roberts stated that the inability to utilize Edman’s versatility has impacted lineup versatility.

“To not⁢ have the ability to kick him out to⁤ the outfield has certainly minimized some of that versatility, absolutely,” Roberts explained.

Need for Offensive Improvement

Roberts emphasized⁣ the need ⁢for Pages ⁤to show “some kind of uptick ‍in consistency of performance.” Pages hit 27 home runs during the regular season but has only one extra-base hit this October.

More broadly, Roberts wants⁣ to see improved at-bat quality from⁣ the entire Dodgers offense, especially with runners in scoring position.⁤ The team is currently batting .227 in such situations during the playoffs and ⁣hasn’t scored more than⁢ five runs in a game since the wild-card round.

“My hope is that once we create stress, then we can sort⁤ of finish ‍off innings,” Roberts said. “I think we’re doing a good job of getting there, but we got to do a better job of finishing, which I think that we’re certainly capable of doing.”