Dodgers: Dave Roberts is Seeing Too Many Strikeouts From Joey Gallo and Chris Taylor
Even when things seem to be going right for the Dodgers there is still questions looming over the Dodgers postseason rotation. Among the question marks for Dave Roberts remains the usage of outfielders Joey Gallo and Chris Taylor as they continue to struggle behind the plate.
As Cody Bellinger begins to improve his swing and Trayce Thompson continues to figure things out, the looming detail remains on Gallo and Taylor who have struggled as of late.
In the past five games, Gallo has recorded just one hit and is batting a .164 for the month with Taylor not too far behind batting .185 for the month. Roberts sees the effort, but when it comes to the postseason results are what become most important for team success (quotes via SportsNet LA).
"They're all putting in work, but results certainly matter. Obviously, Joey had a rough night. I know he's competing in there, rough night last night. I think CT is starting to trend a little bit in the right direction. And Trayce is figuring some things out. Cody, I think the at-bat quality has been good for the last week. I think that he's been good, maybe not getting the results that are reflective of how he's feeling at the plate."
Strikeouts have been the common issue among the outfielders in question.
"You know, it's one of those things where you don't ever want to just say 'hey, don't strike out.' But, when you're looking at north of 40% strikeout percentage, that just doesn't play well in the postseason. No one's trying to strike out, but moving the ball forward is paramount."
The hope is one of these outfielders can figure it out ahead of the postseason. Unfortunately, time is slowly running out and decisions will need to be made in the coming weeks.
