Mookie Betts, right, celebrates with Freddie Freeman after hitting a two-run home run in the first inning of a 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers finally solved their recent offensive woes on Monday.
And the answer, it turned out, wasn’t much of a mystery.
Sure, manager Dave Roberts noted in his pregame media address, the Dodgers needed to be more selective at the plate, coming off a 3-6 skid over the last two weeks in which they’d hit .218 as a team and averaged barely three runs per game.
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“When you’re swinging and trying to cover every pitch, all parts of the zone, that’s tough to do in the big leagues,” Roberts said. “I think having an idea of where you want to hunt is a good start for us.”
During afternoon batting practice, the Dodgers’ hitting coaches changed up the routine, too, having batters take swings off a high-velocity pitching machine — rather than soft tosses from members of the staff — in hopes of improving the offense’s mediocre production against fastballs.
“We always prioritize hitting velocity, and that’s something we haven’t done great,” hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc said. “So, thought it was a good day to do it.”
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But the biggest difference on Monday, in the Dodgers’ 5-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, was to the lineup itself.
Dodgers pitcher Dustin May celebrates after striking out Colorado’s Michael Togliato end the fourth inning Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
For just the fifth time in 18 games, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman were all in the batting order again.
And, for arguably the first time this year, the Dodgers’ Big 3 looked like their terrifying, thunderous selves — setting the tone, leading the way and quieting the growing questions about the club’s recently sluggish offense.
Betts hit a two-run home run in the top of the first, after Ohtani led the game off with a single. Ohtani went yard himself in the third inning, collecting his fifth long ball of the season on a no-doubt blast to center. Freeman tacked on two hits in a return to form following time away on the injured list.
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Combined, they were seven for 14 with three RBIs and all five runs scored.
And while the Dodgers (12-6) got other contributions in their series-opening win at Dodger Stadium — most notably, a six-inning, one-run, seven-strikeout gem from starter Dustin May — having their three superstar sluggers back, and bashing, together again was easily the night’s most welcomed sight.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani beats a throw to Colorado first baseman Michael Toglia for a single Monday night. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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