Max Muncy's dominance vs Giants makes you question why Dave Roberts benched him

Max Muncy against the Giants is like Barry Bonds against everyone else. You can't stop him. You can only hope to contain him. And you might want to intentionally walk him with the bases loaded.

So, it would stand to reason that, if the Dodgers were looking to sweep the Giants at Oracle Park this week, they would give Muncy as many opportunities as possible to work his particular brand of magic. It would stand to reason that, considering Muncy remains essential to whatever the Dodgers are trying to accomplish this season, Dave Roberts would at least give him every possible opportunity to get in a rhythm and contribute this week.

Turns out, Roberts went two for three.

He started Muncy in two of the Dodgers' three road games in San Francisco this week. In the series opener, Muncy went 3-for-3 with two homers, seven RBI and a walk in a 9-1 blowout win to get LA back on track. In the series finale, Muncy went 2-for-5 with two more home runs and four more RBI in a 10-5 victory.

In the middle game, Muncy didn't start. The Dodgers were shut out 5-0 by a combination of Alex Wood and Scott Alexander. Were those matchups -- featuring familiar ex-Dodgers -- really so disadvantageous that they required Muncy be stapled to the bench for first pitch?

Dodgers slugger Max Muncy was benched for the opening game vs Giants, are you kidding?

Don't mind us, we'll just be stewing over the fact that the "75 games" should've been 76.

The next time the Dodgers get a crack at the Giants, thanks to the balanced schedule, will be June 16-18 in Los Angeles.

That's, perhaps, the worst part. In a season where the Dodgers and Giants will lock horns less than ever before in the modern era, Roberts still put a healthy Muncy on the bench, sandwiching his two brilliant two-homer days around a dead spot.

This Dodgers team isn't deep enough, or in a powerful enough rhythm, for Roberts and the front office to take their foot off the gas pedal and sacrifice a single advantage. This isn't the loaded Dodges we've seen in years past who can coast by choice. They need to take advantage of every opportunity presented to them to get their core stars locked in.

Two out of three ain't bad, but in this particular case, it's also not good enough.