Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is giving Max Muncy the day off for Sunday's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks, opting to start Kiké Hernández at third base instead, according to Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated. The move comes after Muncy went 0-for-6 at the plate across the first two games of the three-game set at Chase Field.
The decision follows a hard-fought 2-1 extra-innings win for the Dodgers on Saturday night, which snapped a seven-game losing streak. Sports Illustrated reported that Arizona nearly walked off Los Angeles for a second straight night by tying the game in the ninth inning before the Dodgers pulled it out in the 10th. The Diamondbacks had won Friday's series opener 4-3 in walk-off, come-from-behind fashion, meaning Sunday's rubber match determines the winner of the series and evens the season series between the two clubs at six games apiece, per Sports Illustrated.
Along with sitting Muncy, Roberts made one other lineup change for Sunday, starting catcher Ben Rortvedt over Hunter Feduccia, according to Yahoo Sports. The rest of the lineup remained intact, with Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter, Andy Pages in center field, Freddie Freeman at first base, Tommy Edman at second base, Mookie Betts at shortstop, Kyle Tucker in right field, Teoscar Hernández in left field, Kiké Hernández at third base and Rortvedt behind the plate. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski took the mound for Los Angeles.
A Tough Stretch, But Strong Numbers Overall
Muncy is in his 11th major league season and his ninth with the Dodgers, and Yahoo Sports notes he continues to be a productive piece of the lineup despite the recent slump. Through 107 games and 354 at-bats this season, Muncy has recorded 62 runs, 88 hits, 22 home runs and 52 RBIs, slashing .249/.486/.829, per figures cited by Yahoo Sports. Those power numbers, particularly the home run total, underscore why Muncy remains a fixture in the Dodgers' order even after a quiet two games against Arizona.
Roberts, addressing the team's broader offensive struggles after Saturday's win, said the margin for error has been too thin lately. "Offensively, we just got to get going," Roberts said, according to Sports Illustrated. "It's hard to win games when your margin is a razor's edge. So, it's not like guys aren't trying, but it's a tough way to pitch and have to be perfect." Giving Muncy a breather on Sunday appears to be one small adjustment aimed at freshening up a lineup that had gone cold during the seven-game skid.
An All-Star Pitching Duel in the Desert
Sunday's finale features a matchup of two first-time All-Stars from opposite dugouts, both left-handers: Wrobleski for the Dodgers and Eduardo Rodríguez for the Diamondbacks. Sports Illustrated reported that Wrobleski entered the start with an 11-3 record and a 3.31 ERA across 117 innings, with 91 strikeouts against 24 walks. Rodríguez, meanwhile, carried a 10-4 record and a 2.71 ERA across 136.1 innings.
The two have some recent familiarity. Wrobleski faced the Diamondbacks in the first week of June and threw six shutout innings with four strikeouts, according to Sports Illustrated. Rodríguez has seen the Dodgers three times already this season: allowing one unearned run over five innings with five strikeouts in the season's first series, one run over six innings with three strikeouts on June 1, and two runs over six innings with five strikeouts on July 10.
First pitch for the series finale was set for 1:10 p.m. PT/4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 9, with the broadcast carried on SportsNet LA and the MLB app, and on radio via AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish, per Sports Illustrated.
Where the Dodgers and Diamondbacks Stand
Despite the recent losing streak, the Dodgers remain firmly in control of the National League West, holding an 8.5-game lead over the Diamondbacks, according to Sports Illustrated. Arizona currently occupies the second National League wild-card spot.
League-wide, Yahoo Sports reported the Dodgers sit at 70-47, tied for second in the National League with the Atlanta Braves, with both clubs trailing the Milwaukee Brewers, who lead all of baseball at 73-44. Under the current standings, the Dodgers would host a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the Philadelphia Phillies if the season ended today, unless they climb into the top two spots and secure a bye, per Yahoo Sports.
For a team that has spent much of the season among baseball's elite, the seven-game losing streak represented a rare rough patch, and Saturday's extra-innings win was viewed as a much-needed step toward stabilizing things. Sitting Muncy for the finale, while a minor tactical choice, reflects the kind of small tweaks Roberts has been willing to make as the Dodgers try to shake off their recent offensive inconsistency and hold their ground atop the division heading into the stretch run of the season.
