It’s as if Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts never left.
The 2018 AL MVP returned from the injured list on Monday and wasted little time giving the Dodgers a jolt.
Betts hit a two-run home run in the top of the third inning against the Brewers. The 375-foot blast was his 11th of the season and first since June 6.
Betts’ last game before breaking his left hand was on June 16. Before his injury, Betts appeared in 72 games and had .304/.405/.488 batting splits.
Per FanGraphs, the Dodgers led the majors with 57.1 runs above average during that span. In the nearly two months (45 games) they were without Betts, they were ninth in the majors at 29.5 runs above average.
Los Angeles (69-49) has a 3.5-game lead in the NL West over the Diamondbacks and Padres (both 66-53).
With Betts back, the Dodgers’ formidable lineup is even more daunting. It’s also capable of keeping pace with the red-hot Diamondbacks bats. Since June 17, Arizona has led the majors in home runs (74), runs (274) and team batting average (.273).
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who also hit a two-run home run on Monday, is the front-runner to be named NL MVP. Per Baseball Savant, first baseman Freddie Freeman leads the majors in launch angle sweet-spot rate (43.2 percent), which measures how often a player hits the ball with a launch angle between eight and 32 degrees, an indicator the ball is well-hit.
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has 26 home runs, six shy of matching his personal record set in 2021 with the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers weren’t lacking star power with Betts sidelined, but with him back in Dodger blue, they’ll shine even brighter.
