It’s panic time in Hollywood! Well, maybe not full-blown, running-for-the-hills panic, but Manager Dave Roberts is definitely feeling the heat. After a performance in Game 4 that could best be described as a snooze fest, the Dodgers are shaking things up for a do-or-die Game 5 of the World Series.
The biggest casualty? Young Outfielder Andy Pages has been benched. Pages has been about as effective at the plate as a screen door on a submarine. Hitting a microscopic .080 this postseason, he’s been an automatic out. You can’t win a World Series with an automatic out. So, in a move that screams “we need a pulse,” Roberts has officially pulled the plug. Alex Call gets the nod in left field, which shuffles Kiké Hernandez to center.
Mookie Betts Gets a Demotion
But wait, there’s more! In the most surprising move of the night, Mookie Betts, the former MVP and face of the franchise, is getting bumped down the order. He is hitting third for the first time since 2021. He’s been struggling, posting a measly .158 average in the series. When the Blue Jays are just handing out free passes to Shohei Ohtani ahead of you, you have to make them pay. Betts hasn’t.
So, who gets the promotion? Catcher Will Smith will now hit second, right behind Ohtani, and the man who hit the walk-off homer in Game 4, Freddie Freeman, will handle cleanup duties. Roberts is hoping this little shuffle will light a fire under his superstars. As he put it, Betts is “working hard,” but all that matters now is taking “4 or 5 good ABs.” No pressure, Mookie.
Can This Desperate Gambit Save the Dodgers?
So, will this lineup juggling act actually work? Who knows. At this point, Roberts is throwing spaghetti at the wall and praying something sticks. Facing the Blue Jays’ rookie Pitcher, Trey Yesavage, who they saw in Game 1, the Dodgers are trying anything to generate some offense.
Moving Betts down might just be the psychological jolt he needs. And benching Pages for Call is a classic “we need a spark” move. It’s a high-stakes game of musical chairs, and the Dodgers are hoping they’re not left standing when the music stops. Game 5 isn’t just a game; it’s a test of whether this billion-dollar roster has the grit to match its glamour. The pressure is on, the changes are made, and all of Los Angeles is holding its breath.
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