by Megan Garcia
With the urgency of the World Series now being a best-of-three, the Dodgers have shifted things around in the lineup against the Blue Jays in Game 5.
The lineup changes include Will Smith sliding up to the №2 spot and Mookie Betts slotted as the №3 hitter. Left fielder Alex Call replaces Andy Pages as the №9 hitter.
After the Game 4 loss, Dave Roberts hinted at offensive changes with the World Series being tied 2–2.
Tuesday night exemplified the Dodgers’ offensive struggles throughout the postseason with five hits, leaving seven runners on base and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
“I felt that (Alex) at the bottom, the at-bat quality, seeing pitches, the potential to get somebody on base for Shohei at the top,” Roberts said. “As far as Mookie and Will, I just feel that that’s the best way to win the game tonight.”
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The Dodgers have a 27.6% chase rare in the World Series. They’ve consistently been at that mark since the start of the postseason. Call brings patience at the bottom of the lineup to counteract that tendency.
He had a 17.6% chase rate during the regular season and 19.2% whiff rate. Both were among the best in baseball.
This will be his first start of the World Series.
“I haven’t swung out of the zone (this series). I had two calls that were not in the zone on me, so that puts you in a hole with the first strike of the at-bat,” Call said of his Game 4 plate appearances. “Otherwise, I felt good about my at-bats. I hit that last ball well, but it just found the glove.
For Betts, this is his first time batting third since 2021. He went 9-for-42 with two home runs as the №3 hitter that year.
Betts is 3-for-19 against the Blue Jays. He’s hitting .250 through 14 postseason games with five extra-base hits. During the regular season, amid a struggling offensive stretch, Betts was moved out into the leadoff to give him a different look in the lineup.
“When I netted out the value of what I feel gives us the best chance to win today,” Roberts said. “That was a decision I made, and…at some point you got to be a little bit more proactive than I normally would.”
Smith started four games as the №2 hitter this season. He went 5-for-17 in those games. Smith has three hits in the World Series. He’s batting .267 in the postseason with one home run.
“Just get some hits, get guys on, work the counts, get guys on, move ’em first to third, get ’em in,” Freddie Freeman said. “Kind of like what we did in the second inning yesterday. We just need to continue that over and over and over again. You got to put pressure on ’em. If we’re going up there just trying to hit home runs, it’s just not the name of the game.”
2025 World Series: Offensive urgency shakes up Dodger lineup was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.