Mookie Bettschose the right time to get bogged down in a severe recession.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers facing elimination entering Game 6 of the World Series against the Blue Jays on Friday, Betts has been underwhelming, batting just .130 with three singles, three walks, no extra-base hits and no RBI so far in the Fall Classic.
It’s been a disappointing season for Betts, as the former Red Sox star posted a career-low OPS of .732 in the regular season before hitting just .234 in the postseason. He went 0-4 in Game 5 against Toronto on Wednesday, as the Blue Jays jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the series back at Rogers Center.
“I played terrible and I wish it was a lack of effort, it really was,” Bettstold reporters after Wednesday’s loss at Dodgers Stadium. “But that’s not the case, so I don’t have any answers.”
With Betts in a prolonged slump and the Dodgers’ season on the brink of collapse, Betts’ former Red Sox teammate isDavid Ortizgave some advice during Fox’s World Series coverage.
“If I were Mookie, I’d ignore all of that,” Ortizsaid on FOX. “Remember when we were getting ready to go to a Little League game? You didn’t think about the scouting report, didn’t think about what people said, didn’t think about what you did yesterday.
“When you play Little League, all you want to do is look at the ball, try to hit it and have fun. Ultimately, that’s what the game is all about: Have fun.”
Betts isn’t the only Dodgers star struggling at the batting position.
In Wednesday’s Game 5 loss, Los Angeles’ top four hitters, Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Betts and Freddie Freeman, went 1-for-15 with eight strikeouts.
In five games against Toronto, the Dodgers averaged just 3.6 runs per game — including a total of three runs in Game 4 and Game 5 at Los Angeles.
