Let’s discuss Mookie Betts. Great player. I don’t want anything written here today to change that fact.

When Betts moved to shortstop at the beginning of the season, the big concerns were: Can he play it well defensively, and, will the physical toll of playing shortstop every day wear him down and impact his offense?

For the first month, everything looked great. He was playing better than expected on defense (provided you weren’t expecting Ozzie Smith) and he was putting together an MVP season at the plate.

However, his hitting got a little worse in May, and the wheels have come off in June (of course, I wrote this item on Wednesday, and on Thursday he goes two for four with a homer, but the overall point remains the same.). His month by month totals:

March/April: .368/.477/.624, 10 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, 23 RBIs, 29 runs, 26 walks, 16 strikeouts in 151 plate appearances
May: .276/.345/.391, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 8 RBIs, 13 runs, 11 walks, 8 strikeouts in 116 plate appearances
June: .150/.320/.450, 0 doubles, 0 triples, 2 homers, 4 RBIs, 3 runs, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts in 14 plate appearances

Obviously, we are dealing with a small sample size in June, but it does remain consistent with his downward trend.

So, what’s the problem? Saying he is tired requires quite a bit of mind reading, because he is never going to admit that. Common sense tells us that learning on the fly one of the most difficult positions to play will take a toll on you physically and mentally. But you can’t come out and say that is definitely the problem because there’s no way to know for sure unless Betts says it.

We have some evidence of the mental toll from his comments a couple of weeks ago, mentioned in this newsletter then and repeated now.

Betts talking about his defense: “I think it’s been … not very good, but it is what it is. It’s a work in progress. It’s my first time doing it in a long time. You have to start somewhere, and at least with me, feeling like I’m on the lower end, there’s nowhere to go but up from here.”

On his (and the team’s) hitting: “The sheet of paper will say, yeah, we’re talented, this, that and the other, but the game is gonna determine [that]. There’s no words that anybody can say that’s gonna make us all of a sudden start hitting. If that was the case, we would have done it a long time ago. So it’s just part of the game. You just gotta figure out a way.”

So, he obviously gives the position a lot of thought.

But could something else be at play here? The one surprising thing about Betts we learned after he played for the Dodgers for a while is that he is a streaky hitter. It seems he’s either Babe Ruth or just a guy in the lineup. Maybe his slump, which he hopefully broke for good on Thursday, has nothing to do with playing shortstop, maybe that’s just something convenient to blame it on.

Consider his monthly numbers since joining the team (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage):

2020
July: .256/.310/.410
August: .315/.407/.696
Sept./Oct.: .284/.344/.489

2021
March/April: .250/.364/.405
May: .256/.376/.478
June: .241/.359/.506
July: .370/.417/.685
August: .290/.400/.684
Sept./Oct.: .239/.336/.381

2022
March/April: .230/.352/.378
May: .341/.411/.746
June: .193/.207/.316
July: .248/.325/.495
August: .330/.383/.697
Sept./Oct.: .222/.292/.410

2023
March/April: .235/.350/.431
May: .269/.365/.593
June: .309/.398/.638
July: .305/.426/.585
August: .455/.516/.839
Sept./Oct.: .244/.393/.326

Look at those shifts from month to month, particularly in the last number, which is slugging percentage. He is good, then bad. Then great, then OK. Last season he put four good-to-great months together and almost won the MVP award. In 2022, he hit anywhere from .193 in a month to .341.

Now let’s look at his teammate and equally great player, Freddie Freeman, since joining the Dodgers.

2022
March/April: .299/.382/.468
May: .306/.405/.487
June: .306/.370/.509
July: .388/.447/.684
August: .327/.379/.425
Sept./Oct.: .324/.450/.505

2023
March/April: .292/.377/.451
May: .400/.462/.722
June: .255/.355/.436
July: .359/.438/.685
August: .374/.434/.617
Sept./Oct.: .296/.387/.482

As you can see, the numbers are more consistent, with the extremes being mainly on the positive side. He really has had one off month, June 2023. This is not to say this makes Freeman a better player than Betts. They are both great. But Betts’ streakiness does have an effect on the offense. With a hitter such as Freeman, you know what you are going to get every game. It’s like deciding what part of the country to live in. Do you want to be in a place that is 30 degrees in the winter and 100 in the summer? Or a place where it’s 60-80 all year round?

Streaky hitters are a part of baseball. What causes it with Betts? Don’t know. Luckily, we don’t have to figure it out, the Dodgers do.

Poll Results

The results of the Joe Davis/Orel Hershiser poll are in, and the duo has overwhelming support. After 17,822 votes:

What do you think of the Joe Davis/Orel Hershiser team?

I like them both, 80.9%
I don’t like either of them, 7.5%
I like Davis, but not Hershiser, 7.4%
I like Hershiser, but not Davis, 4.2%

Ippei Mizuhara update

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter until he was fired earlier this season, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud on Tuesday and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports betting debts.

Mizuhara pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 25.

There was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player cooperated with investigators, authorities said.

In a statement Tuesday, MLB said: “Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed.”

Ohtani released a statement that read: “It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.”

Offense

The Dodgers’ offense has been listless for a little while now but they have improved over the last couple of weeks. They still haven’t solved their problems in the bottom third of the lineup, which means that when a couple of players at the top of the lineup struggle, they don’t score runs. Here’s a look at the Dodgers’ numbers the last two weeks (through Wednesday):

Jason Heyward, .375/.483/.750, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 5 walks, 4 K’s
Andy Pages, .343/.361/.457, 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBIs, 1 walk, 12 K’s
Miguel Vargas, 3 for 9, 1 double, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Freddie Freeman, .333/.408/.619, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 5 walks, 7 K’s
Will Smith, .290/.325/.684, 3 doubles, 4 homers, 6 RBIs, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Miguel Rojas, .286/.348/.381, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, 1 K
Austin Barnes, 3 for 11
Teoscar Hernández, .250/.327/.409, 4 doubles, 1 homer, 1 RBI, 4 walks, 14 K’s
Mookie Betts, .217/.294/.326, 2 doubles, 1 homer, 3 RBIs, 5 walks, 6 K’s
Gavin Lux, .207/.281/.276, 2 doubles, 1 RBI, 3 walks, 7 K’s
Shohei Ohtani, .195/.250/.390, 1 triple, 2 homers, 6 RBIs, 3 walks, 15 K’s
Kiké Hernández, .130/.130/.130, 1 RBI, 6 K’s
Chris Taylor, .100/.143/.150, 1 double, 3 RBIs, 6 K’s
Team, .256/.316/.436, 24 doubles, 3 triples, 13 homers, 3.73 runs per game

Pitching

And here is how the pitchers have done the last two weeks (through Wednesday):

Gavin Stone, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 IP, 7 hits, 2 walks, 13 K’s
Anthony Banda, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 3 hits, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Michael Grove, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 1 hit, 4 walks, 5 K’s
Blake Treinen, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 save, 3.2 IP, 3 hits, 0 walks, 6 K’s
Daniel Hudson, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 IP, 3 hits, 1 walk, 3 K’s
Evan Phillips, 0.00 ERA, 1 save, 1 IP, 0 hits, 0 walks, 1 K
Alex Vesia, 1.59 ERA, 1 save, 5.2 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 11 K’s
Tyler Glasnow, 0-1, 2.08 ERA, 13 IP, 5 hits, 6 walks, 17 K’s
Ryan Yarbrough, 2.70 ERA, 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 3 walks, 3 K’s
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 1-1, 4.09 ERA, 11 IP, 13 hits, 3 walks, 15 K’s
Yohan Ramírez, 0-1, 4.50 ERA, 6 IP, 3 hits, 2 walks, 3 K’s
Walker Buehler, 0-2, 4.63 ERA, 11.2 IP, 12 hits, 5 walks, 11 K’s
James Paxton, 0-1, 10.61 ERA, 9.1 IP, 13 hits, 6 walks, 9 K’s
Elieser Hernández, 27.00 ERA, 1 IP, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 K’s
Team, 5-6, 3.22 ERA, 3 saves, 95 IP, 73 hits, 40 walks, 104 K’s

Glasnow gets no support

Here’s an amazing stat: In Tyler Glasnow‘s last five starts, totaling 30 innings, the Dodgers have scored no runs for him. All the runs they have scored in those games came after he was removed.

Bottom of the lineup

We’ll keep track of this throughout the season, because I have a feeling this is going to be crucial when the postseason comes around. Here are the best and worst team batting averages for the Nos. 7-9 spots in the batting order:

1. Milwaukee, .280/.344/.436
2. Angels, .262/.324/.416
3. N.Y. Mets, .261/.313/.400
4. San Francisco, .251/.314/.394
5. Houston, .249/.291/.385

26. Miami, .208/.255/.305
27. Dodgers, .203/.266/.309
28. Cleveland, .201/.287/.319
29. Chicago White Sox, .197/.246/.316
30. Oakland, .195/.285/.331

The Dodgers have risen two places since we checked two weeks ago.

Let’s look at the Dodgers in the Nos. 7-9 spots individually:

No. 7 (mainly Outman and Pages): .209/.270/.289
No. 8 (mainly Lux, Rojas and Pages): .194/.261/.329
No. 9 (mainly Lux, Barnes and Rojas): .207/.268/.309

These names look familiar

We’re doing something a little different this season. Instead of looking only at players who were with the team last season, we will expand it to include notable players from the past. Click on the player’s name for a complete look. Numbers are through Wednesday.

Yency Almonte, Chicago Cubs, 1-0, 3.45 ERA, 15.2 IP, 9 hits, 8 walks, 20 K’s, on the IL

Tyler Anderson, Angels, 5-5, 2.37 ERA, 76 IP, 54 hits, 32 walks, 50 K’s. 173 ERA+

Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs, .258/.322/.447, 10 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 29 RBIs, 117 OPS+

Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs, .238/.333/.436, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 23 RBIs, 118 OPS+

Jonny DeLuca, Tampa Bay, .171/.277/.305, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 homers, 14 RBIs, 69 OPS+

Caleb Ferguson, N.Y. Yankees, 0-3, 5.30 ERA, 1 save, 18.2 IP, 18 hits, 10 walks, 22 K’s

Victor González, N.Y. Yankees, 2-1, 3.24 ERA, 2 saves, 16.2 IP, 9 hits, 9 walks, 7 K’s

Bryan Hudson, Milwaukee, 4-0, 1.07 ERA, 33.2 IP, 17 hits, 8 walks, 39 K’s

Kenley Jansen, Boston, 1-1, 2.89 ERA, 9 saves, 18.2 IP, 13 hits, 10 walks, 24 K’s

Craig Kimbrel, Baltimore, 4-2, 2.95 ERA, 13 saves, 21.1 IP. 13 hits, 9 walks, 31 K’s

Lance Lynn, St. Louis, 2-3, 3.23 ERA, 61.1 IP, 57 hits, 25 walks, 57 K’s

J.D. Martinez, N.Y. Mets, .281/.331/.467, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, 15 RBIs, 132 OPS+

Zach McKinstry, Detroit, .197/.289/.242, 55 OPS+

Kenta Maeda, Detroit, 2-2, 6.25 ERA, 40.1 IP, 45 hits, 12 walks, 30 K’s

Shelby Miller, Detroit, 3-4, 4.08 ERA, 17.2 IP, 11 hits, 6 walks, 18 K’s

Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay, 4-2, 3.96 ERA, 52.1 IP, 34 hits, 16 walks, 59 K’s

Kevin Pillar, Angels, .317/.375/.564, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers, 21 RBIs, 189 OPS+

David Peralta, San Diego, .150/.190/.150, 3 for 20, 1 RBI, 1 OPS+

Luke Raley, Seattle, .268/.316/.444, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers, 16 RBIs, 121 OPS+

Amed Rosario, Tampa Bay, .302/.317/.423, 10 doubles, 3 triples, 2 homers, 21 RBIs, 113 OPS+

Corey Seager, Texas, .271/.360/.472, 5 doubles, 13 homers, 30 RBIs, 138 OPS+

Trayce Thompson, in the minors with N.Y. Mets

Justin Turner, Toronto, .225/.307/.354, 11 doubles, 4 homers, 20 RBIs, 91 OPS+

Trea Turner, Philadelphia, .343/.392/.460, 10 doubles, 2 homers, 9 RBIs, 145 OPS+, on the IL

Alex Verdugo, N.Y. Yankees, .252/.313/.427, 12 doubles, 1 triple, 8 homers, 108 OPS+

Up next

Friday: Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 6-2, 3.32 ERA) at New York Yankees (Cody Poteet, 2-0, 2.45 ERA), 4:05 p.m., SNLA, Apple TV+, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Saturday: Dodgers (Gavin Stone, 6-2, 2.90 ERA) at New York Yankees (Nestor Cortes, 3-4, 3.46 ERA), 4:35 p.m., Fox, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

Sunday: Dodgers (Tyler Glasnow, 6-4, 2.93 ERA) at New York Yankees (Luis Gil, 8-1, 1.82 ERA), 4:10 p.m., ESPN, AM 570, 1020 KTNQ

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, pleads guilty to fraud in betting case

‘A mini-bulldog.’ Why Gavin Stone’s breakout season is reminding Dodgers of Orel Hershiser

And finally

How well can you do in the “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball” category on “Jeopardy?” Watch and listen here.