A lot is going right for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the past few weeks.
Winners of 12 of their last 15, the Dodgers have seized control of the best record in Major League Baseball.
If there was concern about their reign atop the National League West, the Dodgers have responded with authority. They're 84-55, 5 1/2 games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres.
However, not every member of the Dodgers' lineup is firing on all cylinders. And as L.A. has learned through their many disappointing early postseason exits the past decade, any slump can sink a team if it happens at the wrong time.
One insider called out a slumping Dodgers star by name on Wednesday. Jim Bowden of The Athletic called two-time All-Star catcher Will Smith the "X-factor" to the Dodgers' 2024 success.
"Will Smith had a great April, slashing .362/.403/.543, but he’s hit under .215 every month since, including a dismal .194 in August," Bowden said. "If Smith could heat up down the stretch, he could be a huge X-factor for the Dodgers as they look to put away the Diamondbacks and Padres in the division and lock up the No. 1 seed."
Smith, 29, has been one of the most consistent contributors in the Dodgers lineup for the past four seasons, a productive stabilizing force in a lineup full of superstars. But despite being named an All-Star, he is on track for easily his worst season at the big-league level.
Smith holds a .751 OPS/112 OPS+ entering play Wednesday, which are good overall numbers for a catcher, but far below the .822/123 marks Smith has averaged in his six seasons.
And since an early July stretch where he hit four home runs in two games, Smith has hit just two longballs in his last 37 outings, while slashing just .183/.285/.256 in that time frame.
It isn't as though the Dodgers need Smith to carry their lineup offensively. They have at least three other players who can usually be counted on to do so. But when their catcher comes up in a big spot in October, the Dodgers would love for Smith to be swinging a hot bat.
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