The Los Angeles Dodgers' lower-order batters are struggling deeply. The table is not set in front of first batter Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers broke a two-game losing streak by winning 5-3 against the Colorado Rockies at home on the 15th (Korean time), but there was a stark contrast between the top and bottom of the batting order. Ohtani Shohei, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith combined for 9 hits (2 home runs) in 17 at-bats and 5 RBIs, but Max Muncy, Kiké Hernández, and Andy Pahés, batting 7th to 9th, went silent with 1 hit in 9 at-bats. Without support from the lower order, the Dodgers' offensive power is unable to quite break free from a frustrating situation.

Muncy is batting .173 (9 hits in 52 at-bats) with 0 home runs, 3 RBIs, 6 walks, 25 Samjin, and an OPS of .517 over 16 games. Hernández is batting .125 (6 hits in 48 at-bats) with 4 home runs, 8 RBIs, 3 walks, 17 Samjin, and an OPS of .548 over 14 games. Pahés is batting .137 (7 hits in 51 at-bats) with 2 home runs, 2 RBIs, 6 walks, 19 Samjin, and an OPS of .529 over 16 games.

It is still early in the season, not even a month into the opening, and the sample size is not large with fewer than 100 at-bats. While there is a bit more reason to wait for Muncy and Hernández, who have good careers and rich experience, Pahés' struggles are serious.

On the 9th and 10th, Pahés seemed to break the silence by hitting home runs in consecutive games against the Washington Nationals, but it was short-lived. After that, he went 0 for 10 with 3 Samjin in the next 3 games, showing no signs of escaping the low batting average.

Despite ranking second in the league in home runs (31) and eighth in slugging percentage (.431), the Dodgers are only 17th in batting average (.230) and 13th in on-base percentage (.310), resulting in a 9th place in OPS (.741). As the struggles of the lower-order batters continue, the 'table' is not being set before first batter Ohtani.

Ohtani is performing well this season, batting .296 (21 hits in 71 at-bats) with 5 home runs and an OPS of .939 in 18 games, but he has only managed 6 RBIs. He has the lowest RBI total among 23 batters with 5 or more home runs. All his RBIs came from 4 solo home runs and 1 two-run home run.

Out of a total of 82 plate appearances this season, he has only entered scoring position in 8 at-bats. The rate of plate appearances with runners in scoring position is 9.8%, significantly down from last year's 24.4% (178 out of 731 plate appearances). Even considering that it is early in the season, there are too few opportunities in scoring position, and if this trend continues, it will be difficult for the Dodgers to maximize the Ohtani effect.

A rebound from the lower order is needed, and if there are no significant signs so far, changes must be prepared. According to 'USA Today Sports' on the 13th, the Dodgers discussed a trade to acquire powerful center fielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox. They offered promising player James Outman as a trade card, but the dialogue was at a preliminary level.

If a trade proves difficult, they should consider calling up promising resources from Triple-A. Hyeseong Kim could be a good card. In 14 games with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, he is batting .290 (18 hits in 62 at-bats) with 3 home runs, 13 RBIs, 5 walks, 17 Samjin, an on-base percentage of .362, a slugging percentage of .581, and an OPS of .943. It seems that the effects of his swing adjustment have begun to show, as he hit 3 home runs in games on the 12th and 13th.

Dodgers' specialized media is also expecting Kim Hyeseong's call-up. 'Dodgers Way' noted on the 15th that 'Kim Hyeseong has hit in all but 3 of the 14 Triple-A games. Of course, we will keep a close eye on the red flags, such as striking out 17 times in 62 plate appearances, but there are clear reasons to believe that Kim Hyeseong will soon replace Pahés in Major League Baseball.'

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