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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have been unable to right the ship coming out of the All-Star break, dropping four out of five games after a loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.
And now the team will be without yet another high-leverage arm for a significant stretch, as reliever Tanner Scott was placed on the injured list. The growing list of pitcher injuries is reason for concern, but the Dodgers are also responding to some concerning offensive struggles for one of their best players.
As shortstop Mookie Betts has posted a career low .238/.311/.373 slash line so far this season, manager Dave Roberts made the surprising move to slot him into the leadoff position. That decision might jumpstart Betts' offense, but it also moved the team's best player, Shohei Ohtani, out of the leadoff spot.
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In response to the move, Ohtani sent a clear message about his mindset and his hopes for how it might impact Betts.
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"I have absolutely no problem with it," Ohtani said of being moved out of the leadoff spot, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "What's most important is that everyone can hit comfortably."
In addition to working his way back to the mound this season, Ohtani has served as the team's most productive hitter from the top of the order. He leads the team in total runs, hits, homers and RBI. But a move down one spot to accommodate Betts hasn't seemed to disrupt that production, as he's on a four-game homer streak after Tuesday's loss.
"He wants to win," Roberts said of Ohtani, per Hernandez. "I think that him playing every day, him pitching, him taking walks when needed and switching spots with Mookie in the order, whatever is in the best interest of the ballclub, that's what he's doing."
Ohtani seems ready to take on whatever the team might ask of him. But if the Dodgers hope to regain their momentum in the wins column, they'll need to hope that Betts' move to leadoff can unlock something at the plate.
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