Is it safe to say that Mookie Betts is back? Yes.
Betts received a standing ovation back in his first at-bat on Aug. 4 against the St. Louis Cardinals in a similar former Dodger Trea Turner two years prior. At that time, he was looking for any and all remedies to solve his problems at the plate. The ovation quickly became a revelation, and as the Dodgers enter the weekend set to face the rival San Francisco Giants— a team quickly closing in on a potential Wild Card spot— Betts has spearheaded the Dodger offense.
Since Aug. 5, Betts has returned to his MVP caliber offense that Dodger fans have been accustomed to, as he is slashing a remarkable .333/.382/.537 with six home runs, 21 RBI, and 12 walks compared to just eight strikeouts. He was a catalyst in the Dodgers offense in the final two games over Baltimore, driving in multiple runs in each game. He has done the same in each of the first two games against Colorado with the Dodgers on the verge of their third sweep of the Rockies this season.
Even Dave Roberts admitted that Betts is back to playing like his usual self, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“He looks like Mookie,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s just playing baseball. I don’t think he’s overthinking the mechanics. He’s competing. He’s trying to help us win baseball games. And you’re seeing that kind of emotion, the confidence, the swagger, which we hadn’t seen in a while. But it’s been consistent over the last 30 days.”
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Teoscar Hernández’s poor discipline and utter underperformance at the plate had been apparent since he was activated off the injured list in May, but Tuesday saw Hernández break out in a big way with a multi-home run game, giving him his first two home runs since Aug. 22.
Dave Roberts noted that Hernández looked more comfortable at the plate, which allowed him to free his body when swinging at pitches within his wheelhouse, per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.
“I thought the at-bats, the takes, the swings, all were good,” Roberts said of Hernandez. “He’s been grinding, trying to figure out his mechanics, his approach, all that stuff. But I thought tonight was the first time in a long time that he looked comfortable. And I thought he freed his body up.”
Roki Sasaki isn’t looking like a viable option to be a part of the Dodgers’ postseason rotation, but Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times notes that he could be viewed as a potential bullpen piece.
“Anything’s possible,” Roberts said. “I know he wants to contribute. So we’ve just got to see where he fits in. And we’ll have that conversation as an organization.”
Kyle Karros, son of Dodger great Erik Karros, spoke with David Vassegh of AM 570 where the two discussed Tommy Lasorda and how proud he would’ve been to see Karros follow in his father’s footsteps.
“He’s been an integral piece of my life. I would love to have him here and witness this day, because he’s talked about this day. He believed in me before I even believed in myself. He always said I’d be a big leaguer.”
