“Back” is the word of the day in LA. Mookie Betts is back in the lineup for the third game since he hurt his finger in Arizona. Today’s win puts the Los Angeles Dodgers one half-game back of the Colorado Rockies in the NL West. The Dodgers are also back down a man after Corey Seager was removed from the game this past Friday night with a back injury. Seager has been on fire right out of the gate in 2020, batting .340/.389/.600 with three homers and seven RBI. Seager’s injury likely had an effect on the lack of offense in the Dodger’s loss today.
Seager’s Injury
There was really no incident in which Seager seemed to hurt his lower back. He was pulled in the third inning on Friday night after seeming to feel something in his back. Seager was just backing up Chris Taylor as he fielded a grounder. Suddenly the pain became obvious, and he was removed after a brief conversation with trainers. Not having Seager in the lineup hurts a bit because he came into the game leading the league in hard-hit balls.
Seager is listed as day-to-day because the scans of his lower-back came back negative. News of the negative scans was positive to the Dodgers, who had just gotten Betts back into the lineup after his minor injury. As a result of the scans being negative, Seager, like Betts, will hopefully only miss a game or two. That is positive news for the Dodgers because they clearly missed his production tonight.
Saturday’s Game
Johnny Cueto of the San Francisco Giants took a no-hitter into the sixth against the Dodgers. But it was spoiled with a rally that started with a fly-ball that Hunter Pence lost in the lights. As a result, Enrique Hernandez found himself on third base with a triple instead of in the dugout with a flyout. Once the seal was broken, the Dodgers chased Cueto out by scoring four in the inning. Those would be the only runs allowed by the Giants, and it ended up being one short. The Dodgers lost 5-4.
Outlook
People are left wondering if Cueto’s night would have ended much sooner if the Dodgers had rallied earlier. Perhaps Seager’s hot bat could have ignited a rally in the second or third inning and sent Cueto packing. There is no way to know because Seager is out for the time being. Seager has already missed a couple of games with minor things such as calf tightness and quad discomfort, and now this. However, Seager has appeared in 13 of the Dodgers’ 16 games this season.
Hopefully, for the Dodgers, their fans, and Corey Seager, it was just one of those tweaks that happen to backs sometimes. The Dodgers will be playing the surprisingly good San Diego Padres this week, and the Rockies next week. So, production is paramount as the Dodgers look to regain first place in the NL West. Dave Roberts and Seager are both optimistic in regards to Seager’s injury, and they both expect him to be back in the lineup soon. We shall see.
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