Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers has absolutely been on fire lately. He has had four multi-hit games in a row, dating back to before the All-Star break. Saturday evening was a spectacular display of the Betts that Dodgers fans have been waiting to see. He was 4-for-4 with three doubles and an oppo homer. However, on his third double of the game, you could see him tweak something in his leg area when he swung. Since he was at Coors field, he had an easy stand-up double in that huge outfield. This allowed him to try to stride it out and see if he could jog it off. Unfortunately, he had to leave the game shortly after reaching second with the apparent injury. He was replaced by Gavin Lux, who had the night off otherwise.
The most dreaded injuries in baseball these days are hamstrings and obliques. When you see a player tweak something in that area, that is the first fear that comes to mind. Both of those injuries usually require several weeks on the IL. However, neither of those is the case in this instance. It turned out to be what they are calling a “hip irritation.” This could be good news because it might have just been a cramp or hip pointer. It did not seem very severe since he did it in the batter’s box and was still able to get to second. Of course, he had his adrenaline pumping as well and that could mask a more serious injury. We will see how he feels over the next couple of days.
The Rest of the Game
Mookie Betts is not the only Dodger who has been hot lately. Max Muncy hit a pair of homers Saturday in his 4-for-5 effort. He also drove in five of the Dodgers’ nine runs. Another red-hot Dodger has been A.J. Pollock. He was 2-for-4 with another homer as well. The Dodgers went on to win 9-2. The apparent injury to Betts is a potential tough blow for a Dodger team that has been absolutely riddled with injury this year. At Least Corey Seager will be coming back shortly as he is taking regular batting practice. He also has been playing in simulated games in which he has felt really good. It seems that his rehab assignment is rapidly approaching. Also, Corey Knebel is well on his way to recovery, so that is also good news. With the San Francisco Giants loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, the Dodgers find themselves only one game behind the Giants in the NL West. After one more with the Colorado Rockies, the Dodgers will host the Giants for four games and settle first place in the NL West and likely the best record in baseball. Stay tuned.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
Players Mentioned:
Mookie Betts, Gavin Lux, Max Muncy, A.J. Pollock, Corey Seager, Corey Knebel
