The Los Angeles Dodgers, going for their sixth straight victory on Tuesday night, are taking on the Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series this week.
It’s somewhat of a favorable game for LA (at least on the pitching side of things), as Tarik Skubal is getting the start, and the Dodgers offense will face southpaw Nick Lodolo, whose ERA is north of 5.00 this season.
Because of the Nick Lodolo pitching decision, manager Dave Roberts has made a number of changes in the batting order. One of them involves Kyle Tucker.
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Kyle Tucker OUT of Dodgers Batting Order on Tuesday
Likely due to the southpaw Lodolo going for the Reds, Kyle Tucker is NOT featured in the Dodgers’ batting order.
Here is the full lineup, per @UnderdogMLB:
Dodgers 9/8: “T. Edman CF M. Betts SS W. Smith C F. Freeman DH T. Hernández RF M. Rojas 2B A. Call LF M. Muncy 3B E. Hernández 1B T. Skubal SP”
T. Edman CF M. Betts SS W. Smith C F. Freeman DH T. Hernández RF M. Rojas 2B A. Call LF M. Muncy 3B E. Hernández 1B
T. Skubal SP
Other notables include Shohei Ohtani being OUT of the lineup, Mookie Betts being back in, Freddie Freeman moving to cleanup (and DH), and Miguel Rojas batting sixth. Will Smith is also back in the order and is forming a battery with Tarik Skubal.
Pretty much the entire Dodgers lineup is different from Monday’s game.
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Has Kyle Tucker Turned a Corner Yet?
Kyle Tucker is in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and despite being an everyday player, Tucker’s stats aren’t very lavish, if you will.
Over 136 games played, his bWAR sits at exactly 0.0. He’s added 12 home runs, 20 doubles, and 106 hits to the Dodgers’ offense.
His OPS+ is 87, which would be by far a career low for Tucker.
Has Tucker turned a corner yet with his offensive numbers? It’s hard to believe that’s the case. He has just one hit in his last five games, which did happen to be a home run, but he’s also come up to bat 15+ times in the last five games.
Dodgers fans, let me know in the comments what you think about Kyle Tucker…Are you worried he will bring the team down in October?
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