It’s a National League West tour for the Dodgers to start the season. After sweeping a two-game series against the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles started their first road trip. The Dodgers made their way to the desert for a 4 game series against the Diamondbacks and followed it with their first rivalry series against the Giants.
Both the Rockies and the Diamondbacks are not seen as division contenders. The Rockies are currently trying to figure out why they signed Kris Bryant to a long-term deal, and the Diamondbacks are setting the groundwork for the future.
Meanwhile, up in the Bay Area, the Giants are still trying to figure out how they won the division two years ago.
It should have been an easy road trip, right? Instead, the Dodgers get their first series lost and remind fans this new season will be full of emotions. After splitting the series in LA, the Dodgers go into the desert and lose 3 out of the 4 games against the Diamondbacks.
The Diamondbacks’ offense took advantage of playing the pitching staff twice in two weeks by piling run after run after run.
As I write this article, the Dodgers took game one against the Giants. Muncy took advantage of the park he hates to play in by hitting two home runs and having 7 RBIs. Will he break out of his slump? More on that later.
The Good
Watching the top of the Dodgers lineup at work is majestic. Leading off is Mookie. You can rely on Mookie to set the game’s tone with any swing he takes. Freddie follows him with consistency.
The new leaders of the team. The captains are leading by example. During these first two weeks, Mookie and Freddie demonstrate why the front office allowed Justin Turner to walk away.
Mookie and Freddie are the future of this team. This season they are leading the offense like two Spiderman’s trying to figure out who the real one is:
- Mookie is currently hitting .293 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs.
- Freddie is currently hitting .419 with 1 home run and 2 RBIs.
And they’re bringing Will Smith under their tutelage. Now I understand why the front office was cool with trading away Keibert Ruiz.
- Will Smith is currently .344 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs.
The Avengers have assembled. The gang’s back together. The Fresh Prince of LA has found his royal court. Whatever cheesy metaphor you want to use, the top of the offense is set for years to come.
EXTEND WILL SMITH, YOU COWARDS!
The Bad & The Ugly
Okay, sure. Whatever. It’s a small sample size. Two weeks is not enough for me to hit the panic button, burn my Taylor and Muncy jerseys, and use the ashes to cover my pain away.
But it is not just these first two weeks of the new season. These two have been bad in the batter’s box since last season.
Muncy had himself a game against the Giants on the first game of the series, hitting two home runs and 7 RBIs. He’s been upgraded from ugly to bad. His average sits at .194, two points better than he hit last season. I can’t justify labeling him “ugly” after he reminded the Giants who’s their daddy.
How is he still hitting cleanup? I don’t mind having his bat in the lineup; bring him down to the bottom until he makes adjustments to his swing and reminds us why fans brag about the team’s ability to fix any batter.
Chris Taylor, on the other hand, has me debating whether I should add an “EW THIS CRAP IS BUTT-UGLY” section to the recap. His batting average is flirting with zero. He’s striking out half of his at-bats. His only hits of the season are two home runs.
Something is going on. The Dodgers’ depth isn’t what it was in other years. His flexibility is needed. He needs to figure things out before his at-bats go to a rookie the team is trying to entice the Angels with.
