The Los Angeles Dodgers lost 5-1 on Wednesday night in the second game of their series against the San Diego Padres.
This now sets up a rubber match on Thursday night between the two teams, as L.A. took Game 1 of the series back on Tuesday.
Ahead of the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to make some moves near the top of his batting order following the return of Shohei Ohtani this week.
Dodgers Announce Mookie Betts Move
Since Ohtani’s return, Roberts has placed him in the two-hole, batting behind leadoff hitter Mookie Betts.
Pretty much all season, hitting in the leadoff spot has been Ohtani’s role, and he’s excelled at it.
Ultimately, Betts has as well, but Roberts decided to make the switch back, and for the series finale, Ohtani will hit leadoff while Betts will drop down to the two-hole.
Here’s the full Dodgers lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Dodgers 9/24 S. Ohtani DH M. Betts SS F. Freeman 1B T. Hernández LF K. Tucker RF M. Muncy 3B A. Pages CF H. Feduccia C T. Edman 2B T. Glasnow SP.”
Dodgers 9/24
S. Ohtani DH
M. Betts SS
F. Freeman 1B
T. Hernández LF
K. Tucker RF
M. Muncy 3B
A. Pages CF
H. Feduccia C
T. Edman 2BT. Glasnow SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 24, 2026
Looking at Betts’ 2026 Season
In his 13th MLB season and seventh as a member of the Dodgers, it’s been a challenging 2026 campaign at times, which he recently acknowledged.
“Thank you for sticking with me. I know it was hard. I make it hard sometimes, but thank you for sticking by my side. By our side. We’ve got something special coming,” Betts said after clinching the playoffs.
Despite the highs and lows, Betts still had a pretty productive year by most standards. He’s appeared in 119 games entering Thursday and has logged 464 at-bats, hitting .256 with 69 runs, 119 hits, 22 home runs, and 68 RBIs while slugging .450 with a .775 OPS.
Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Mookie Betts Move During Padres Series