It is as if Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts by no means left.
The 2018 AL MVP returned from the injured checklist on Monday and wasted little time giving the Dodgers a jolt.
Betts hit a two-run house run within the high of the third inning in opposition to the Brewers. The 375-foot blast was his eleventh of the season and first since June 6.
Betts’ final recreation earlier than breaking his left hand was on June 16. Earlier than his damage, Betts appeared in 72 video games and had .304/.405/.488 batting splits.
Per FanGraphs, the Dodgers led the majors with 57.1 runs above common throughout that span. Within the almost two months (45 video games) they have been with out Betts, they have been ninth in the majors at 29.5 runs above common.
Los Angeles (69-49) has a 3.5-game lead within the NL West over the Diamondbacks and Padres (each 66-53).
With Betts again, the Dodgers’ formidable lineup is much more daunting. It is also able to protecting tempo with the red-hot Diamondbacks bats. Since June 17, Arizona has led the majors in house runs (74), runs (274) and workforce batting common (.273).
Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, who additionally hit a two-run house 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 charge (43.2 p.c), which measures how typically a participant hits the ball with a launch angle between eight and 32 levels, an indicator the ball is well-hit.
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has 26 house runs, six shy of matching his private file set in 2021 with the Blue Jays.
The Dodgers weren’t missing star energy with Betts sidelined, however with him again in Dodger blue, they will shine even brighter.