April 28, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) hits an RBI single in the first inning against Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has tried to shake Yasiel Puig out of a slump that has seen his average dip from .405 to .239 in a little over two weeks.
On Saturday, he benched Puig, giving him a day off to “clear his mind.” On Sunday, he moved him into the leadoff spot against Padres lefty Drew Pomeranz in the hopes that it would “temper” his aggressiveness a bit.
So naturally, Puig popped out on the first pitch he saw from Pomeranz.
“You look at the last week, where he has been coming out of the strike zone, being extra aggressive swinging at balls out of the zone,” Roberts said.
“Every hitter is going to be who they are regardless of where they hit in the order. But there’s a few spots in the order, the leadoff spot being one, where the mindset changes just a little bit. Do I expect him to take (pitches) just because he’s in the leadoff spot? Absolutely not. If he sees a first-pitch fastball that he wants to let it rip, then go for it. But I do believe there’s a mindset in being a little more selective.”
Puig did extend his second at-bat to nine pitches before grounding out. But he went 0-for-4 in the leadoff spot, capping a 2-for-24 homestand. Since April 15, Puig is 7-for-55 (.127).
Roberts wants Puig to focus less on the results and more on the process at-bat to at-bat.
“When you start chasing numbers or chasing hits and you don’t get a hit in your first at-bat, the anxiety, the frustration starts to build,” he said. “With Yasiel a little bit, he’s got to focus on having good at-bats. And whether you line out in your first at-bat — that’s a positive. You hit the ball hard. I think that a little bit, he’s chasing some hits.”
