Dodgers: It’s Time For Dave Roberts to Change the Lineup

The Dodgers play a pivotal game four tonight as they will look to avoid a 3-1 series deficit.  Rich Hill will take the mound and hope the offense offers him better run support.

The Dodgers offense hit a new low for the postseason at least as they struck out a franchise record fourteen times on Monday night and were blanked by Jhoulys Chacin and the rest of the Milwaukee bullpen.  Walker Buehler was strong until the seventh inning but it wasn’t like the offense was going to help even if he allowed only two runs.

The Dodgers offense is still looking to put together a dominant game.  The offense has scored nine runs total over the course of three games giving them an average of three runs a game.  Most of those nine runs have come in the last few innings of games one and two.  The Dodgers need to score early in games force the Brewers to go to their bullpen early and not sit on leads until their bullpen’s dominant arms come into games.

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The Dodger offense is going to face two left-handed starters in the next two games which are Gio Gonzalez and Wade Miley.  It’s time for the Dodgers and Dave Roberts to shake up the lineup and bench Cody Bellinger, Yasmani Grandal, and Kiké Hernandez.  Grandal is already going to sit today per Dave Roberts last night but it still remains to be seen if Bellinger and Kiké will start.  Kiké is yet to record a hit in the NLCS and Bellinger is hitting an even .100.

In place of Bellinger and Kiké the Dodgers should start CT3 in center field and Brian Dozier at second base.  Matt Kemp should get the start in the outfield as well.  Dozier has sit for the last handful of games but now that Kiké has cooled off, it’s time to put the powerful veteran back into the lineup to see if he can get hot and bolster the Dodgers’ offense.  Chris Taylor has quietly been one of the Dodgers’ best hitters this postseason.

The Dodgers went a horrid 0-10 with RISP last night and also set a franchise record for strikeouts in a game with fourteen.  Yasmani Grandal had a chance to even up the game at one but he struck out swinging for the fences.  David Freese also figures to start at first base with lefties on the mound and he could hopefully help the Dodgers inability to hit with runners in scoring position.

The Dodgers head into Tuesday’s game in need of a big spark.  Perhaps Chris Taylor or Brian Dozier could deliver the big knock the Dodgers need to even up the best of seven series. One thing is clear and that is that the Dodgers are in need of a lineup change.  Otherwise the players might revert back to blaming the fans again.