The Los Angeles Dodgers are in the midst of a tight division race with the San Diego Padres just two games behind.
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It’s a point in the season where every game matters and every win counts. With that being said, manager Dave Roberts is hoping the entire Dodgers lineup will elevate their performance down the stretch.
Michael Conforto has had few bright spots in his first season with the Dodgers, but Roberts has continued to stick with the outfielder day in and day out. The Dodgers skipper hopes this helps Conforto become a consistent contributor to helping the ballclub win.
“We’re not going to chase an .800 OPS, but I think that we can get better each day to help us win championships, so I’m clearly giving him runway,” Roberts said of Conforto. “For us, he’s just got to take good at-bats. I want him to be able to get hits, drive in runs.”
Conforto is hitting .190 with nine home runs, 25 runs batted in, and an OPS of .636 this season. The 32-year-old’s numbers are uncharacteristic as he’s never averaged lower than .220 throughout his 10-year career in MLB. Additionally, his lowest OPS is .718 from the 2023 season, an indication Conforto’s season-long slump is unusual.
While it is perhaps too late this season to salvage Conforto’s individual numbers, he can still make an impact by taking good at-bats. The Dodgers will need the outfielder to do just that as LA hopes to become repeat World Series champions, but will first need to take the division.
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Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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