The Los Angeles Dodgers will not have outfielder Teoscar Hernandez in the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Manager Dave Roberts revealed why Hernandez is out, attributing his struggles as reason for his absence in the lineup.
“He’s an everyday guy, but I think where we’re at, you’ve got to perform too to warrant being out there every single day,” Roberts said.
Hernandez has recorded just three hits in his last 27 at-bats. As the Dodgers look to avoid being swept at home, Roberts has penciled in Alex Call as the starting right fielder for Sunday’s game.
Roberts hopes the “two-day reset” will be helpful for Hernandez, who the Dodgers will need down the stretch. The outfielder’s average has dipped to .245, which is his lowest since early April.
The Dodgers offense has scored just one run in their series against the Diamondbacks this weekend. The LA lineup plays a direct part in the team’s success, but has failed to be consistent all season long.
“We’ve come out pretty flat the last two games after the day off. We can’t keep doing this. We have to be more consistent,” Kiké Hernandez said after the Dodgers’ 6-1 loss to the Diamondbacks Saturday. “We haven’t been very good the last two games.”
The Dodgers’ past six losses have consisted of a combined nine runs. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ past six wins have featured 46 total runs.
In the past eight games, four pitchers with an ERA higher than 5.00 have shutout the Dodgers. How that could be the case remains a mystery, even to the Dodgers’ skipper.
“I can’t (explain that),” Roberts said. “Every day, I write the lineup down and I feel good about the guys that we’re running out there. It comes to having a plan. And when you have an opportunity to take good at-bats, you gotta do your job.