Dave Roberts Praised Bottom of Dodgers' Lineup for Stepping up Vs Angels

Maren Angus-Coombs | Jun 24, 2024

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Since Mookie Betts landed on the injured list with a fractured hand, Shohei Ohtani has stepped up his already incredible production in the Dodgers' lineup. He has proven his ability to lead off.

Saturday night, the bottom-third of the lineup set the table for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gavin Lux got the scoring started with a third-inning homer, his first since May 7. Cavan Biggio reached on an infield single and Ohtani followed with a thunderous home run, extending the Dodgers' lead to 3-0. Lux, Biggio, and Miguel Rojas combined for six of the team's nine hits and scored five of the seven runs the Dodgers scored in their 7-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Gavin Lux's second homer of the season gets the scoring started in LA. pic.twitter.com/2IvOlMgvSK

— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2024

“To get those guys at the bottom, collectively, then it just makes our offense tough to navigate,” Roberts said. “You just don’t want to be too top-heavy as we have been for a good part of the year.”

Rojas extended the team's undefeated streak to 22-0 whenever he records a hit. On Saturday, he was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a strikeout but it was Lux who stole the spotlight.

“Gavin obviously had a really nice night,” Roberts said. “I think what impressed me the most was he spoiled some tough pitches. … The at-bat [when he homered], he was fighting pitches to earn a pitch that he could drive. The last thing on his mind, I’m sure at that point, was hitting the ball out of the ballpark.

“When you have a good at-bat, you spoil pitches, you put yourself in a good spot -- good things happen. … Tonight is what I know he’s capable of doing.”

The Dodgers' .217 batting average from their 7-9 hitters still ranks near the bottom of the pack in MLB, but it's gradually improved in recent weeks.