Even though former Red Sox MVP outfielder Mookie Betts will not be in attendance at Fenway Park on Friday night while Boston (55-49) opens a three-game series against his current team, manager Alex Cora couldn’t help but praise the Dodgers (60-43) superstar.
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed pregame that Betts is away from the team for at least Friday due to “personal reasons.”
Regardless, Cora made sure to make mention of him when talking about a loaded Los Angeles lineup.
“This Dodgers team - they’ve got like 12 pitchers on the IL right now, and yet they’re still among the best teams in baseball,” started Mac Cerullo of The Boston Herald during Cora’s pregame media availability. “From your vantage point, what about them has allowed them to succeed despite all the injuries they’ve sustained?”
“I mean, they're very talented,” said Cora. “The best athlete in the universe playing for them [in Shohei Ohtani]. He's leading off. One of the best baseball players in the league [in Mookie Betts]. He's not having a great season, but he still contributes.
“The first baseman [Freddie Freeman] is a Hall of Famer. The catcher [Will Smith] - he's one of the best hitting catchers in the league. [Andy] Pages has come up and done an amazing job. Teoscar Hernandez is a proven big leaguer. Miguel Rojas is a great shortstop, pretty solid. And whenever Kiké pitches, it means that they’re winning.”
It’s no secret - the defending World Series champions are stacked.
And while there’s no denying Betts’ athletic prowess (have you heard he can bowl?), the 32-year-old is having a down year offensively by Mookie standards:
- .238 batting average
- 11 home runs
- 45 RBI
- .679 OPS
- .309 on base percentage
- .370 slugging percentage
- 88 hits
- 59 runs
- 14 doubles
- 6 stolen bases
- 2.3 WAR
Bad year or not, I think we can all confidently agree on the fact that it would be nice to still have the 2018 American League MVP in a Boston uniform. And no matter how many years pass, seeing him in Dodger blue never gets any easier.
Betts in Los Angeles is the living, breathing embodiment of the post-championship-driven Fenway Sports Group. As the Dodgers spend whatever it takes year after year to be a winner with Betts as a centerpiece, the Red Sox will continue to be scrutinized at every turn when it comes to building their roster.
But for at least one night, FSG will not have to face the Betts metaphor in person. No official word on whether or not he’ll be in attendance on Saturday or Sunday.
First pitch for Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET. Brayan Bello (6-4, 3.23 ERA) takes the bump for Boston, with Emmet Sheehan (1-1, 4.41 ERA) on the mound for Los Angeles.
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