Dodgers News: Will Smith Feels He's Battling More Bad Luck Than Bad Swing Right Now
Since the beginning of August, Will Smith has struggled offensively. Earlier this week, he revealed he suffered a broken rib after getting hit by a pitch against the Cardinals on April 30th. Despite the injury, he had arguably his best month of the season in May, hitting .318 with a .963 OPS in 24 games.
Smith said the injury lingered for a few months. While he's healthy now, he believes the injury has ultimately affected his swing for the worse. The catcher has worked with the Dodgers' hitting coaches and the consensus feeling is that he's close to getting back on track but now there's a new problem...
He thinks he's hitting into bad luck.
Smith said, “There’s still some swing and miss, but the balls I have hit hard have been right at guys,” he said. “We probably wouldn’t be having this conversation if some of those fall.”
Going into the postseason, the Dodgers need Smith to perform to his pre All-Star Game levels, especially if manager Dave Roberts is going to continue hitting in the three hole in the lineup.
When Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman reach base, the Dodgers need Smith to produce.
“He’ll be all right,” assistant hitting coach Aaron Bates said. “He’s such a good player, he finds ways to get it done even if he’s not feeling his best.”
Lately, Smith has shown signs of producing better offensively, but he doesn’t have home run power anymore. This is troubling since the Dodgers could use a three-run homer in the playoffs.
If Smith can’t improve his offensive production over the last few games of the regular season, Roberts needs to consider moving him down in the lineup.
In normal years, the Dodgers rely on their wonderful pitching staff to limit their opposition to a few runs. However, with a pieced-together pitching staff this season, tLA needs the offense to carry them to the World Series. Smith is a large part of the offense, so the Dodgers need him operating on all cylinders.
