LOS ANGELES -- By shifting Mookie Betts down a couple of spots in the lineup, the Dodgers may have awakened his slumbering bat.
L.A. opted to drop its starting shortstop down to the cleanup spot for Tuesday night's 15-6 rout of the Rockies, shifting center fielder Andy Pages up to the two-hole in Betts' place. And the move paid off: Betts took Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland deep for a two-run shot in the first, then tacked on a three-run blast off righty Zach Agnos in the sixth on a 3-for-5 night.
It was Betts' first multihomer game of the season and the 32nd of his career. The other part of the swap also worked out nicely for the Dodgers, as Pages picked up four hits -- including a homer -- and knocked in three runs to extend his MLB-leading RBI total to 49.
"It's just one of those things," manager Dave Roberts said. "You don't know what's going to happen with the results, but I just felt that the process of what I was seeing made sense to kind of give him a different look."
As Betts rounded the bases after his first homer, the joy practically radiated off him. It wasn't so much about seeing a ball clearing the fence, but more about seeing the fruits of his labor.
"The work that we put in finally translated," Betts said. "The other days, the work I put in didn't necessarily translate, so it was more of an excitement. Obviously, home run, exciting and whatnot, but I think it's just finally translated."
Entering Tuesday, Betts was hitting 8-for-51 (.157) with a .494 OPS in 12 games since returning from a five-week stint on the injured list with a strained right oblique.
Betts began this year hitting third, behind Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker. The lineup changed when he was injured, with Tucker dropping to cleanup against right-handers and fifth against left-handers, which is part of why Betts moved back to the two-hole when he was healthy.
This marked the first time since 2017 that Betts has started a game hitting fourth or lower, and he's likely to hit in the same spot in Wednesday's finale against the Rockies as well. From there, the Dodgers will evaluate what makes sense.
"I think that when you're hitting at the top of the order and you're taking on five at-bats in a night and you're not swinging well, it can be a lot to take on," Roberts said. "So I feel that moving him down a couple slots just gives him a different look, and [he can] look forward to taking four at-bats and make the most of them."
Betts weathered an extended slump over the first two-thirds of last season before turning things around in the final two months. He still ended 2025 with a .732 OPS, his lowest in 12 complete big league seasons.
The disappointing campaign led Betts to focus on "rewiring" his swing in the offseason, and he came into Spring Training feeling like he was in a much better spot. The Dodgers wanted him to take a slower approach to spring, so he only logged 38 plate appearances back then and an additional 32 before injuring his oblique.
As Betts has scuffled, Roberts has seen him take his typical approach behind the scenes: working tirelessly to swing his way out of his funk. While spring was the time to take things slow, now is the time for action.
"I think up to this point, we've done a good job with the workload," Roberts said. "But certainly when you're scuffling, you're not going to stand on the sidelines and hope it turns. So he's grinding right now and excessively working, which I think is the right thing to do right now."
When Betts was struggling last year, he reframed his mindset around finding little ways to help the Dodgers win each game. That mentality helped him back then, and he's carrying it with him as he looks to find his groove this year.
"That hasn't changed. My goal is to help the boys," Betts said. "In the game [Monday], I actually got to lay down and go to sleep because I had a sac fly. So those are the things that matter most to me. Yeah, of course I would love to go crazy, hit a bunch of homers and get a bunch of hits and whatnot, but if it's not winning ballgames, it doesn't really matter."