The Dodgers' first game without Mookie Betts couldn't have gone much better offensively. They won 9-5 over the Rockies at Coors Field, banging out 14 hits and drawing eight walks in the process.
Their new lineup saw Shohei Ohtani move to the leadoff spot with Will Smith sliding up to the No. 2 hole. He was followed by Freddie Freeman and then Teoscar Hernandez in the cleanup spot. Miguel Rojas started at shortstop and batted seventh.
Ohtani, the most important cog to keep the Dodgers' offensive machine rolling without Betts, looked every bit like a leadoff man. He went three-for-four with a walk and scored twice. He also stole a base and cranked a pair of doubles. Most importantly though he worked counts and saw lots of pitches -- 27 of them in six plate appearances to be exact. And he proved capable of affecting the game from the leadoff spot.
The rest of the lineup helped contribute as well.
Smith smacked an RBI triple. Freeman walked five (5!) times. Hernandez drilled an RBI double. Jason Heyward had three hits. Rojas had three hits.
A quick note on Freeman, he became the first Dodger with five walks and a hit in the same game since Gene Hermanski did it for Brooklyn on Sept. 22, 1949 in a 19-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
Replacing a player like Betts is going to take a team effort and the Dodgers showed Monday they have the depth to withstand such a loss. It helps with Ohtani raking out of the leadoff spot, but the rest of the lineup has to chip in as well. Doing so to start a series at Coors Field is a nice step forward and proof positive they can survive without their MVP-candidate at short.
