Los Angeles Dodgers: The key role Albert Pujols is playing in 2021
By Kevin Henry
When the Los Angeles Dodgers inked Albert Pujols to a deal in mid-May shortly after he was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels, some wondered exactly what the 41-year-old Pujols still had left in the tank. As it turns out, he has enough to help the Dodgers with a key piece of their offense.
Here is what Albert Pujols is doing to boost the Los Angeles Dodgers offense
When a left-hander is on the mound, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is figuring out how to get Pujols into the lineup … and with good reason. This season, Pujols is slashing .313/.353/.607 with an OPS of .960 against southpaws (112 at-bats). Compare that to his slash line against right-handers (.183/.235/.278 with a .513 OPS in 126 at-bats) and it’s easy to see why Pujols is getting the call against lefties.
Flourishing against lefties? Pujols reminded the Angels of exactly how he does that earlier this month when his former team visited Chavez Ravine.
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That home run is part of an August where Pujols has been needed to help a patchwork Dodgers lineup at times. With Mookie Betts, Justin Turner, and plenty of other Dodgers slowed by injuries, having a veteran presence like Pujols available is important. And having a veteran who knows his role and know he is being put in the best position to succeed is important as well, perhaps even moreso.
“This organization had a really good game plan for me,” Pujols has said shortly after coming on board with the Dodgers. “At the end of the day, that’s what it was all about for me.”
With the Dodgers entering Saturday’s action five games behind the San Francisco Giants in the race for the National League West lead, putting Pujols in a position to succeed and having him come through are important pieces for the defending World Champions if they are to catch the Giants and claim their ninth consecutive division title.
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Pujols just passed Willie Mays on MLB’s all-time hits list and needs just 21 more hits to tie Eddie Collins at 3,315 and 25 to reach the top 10 and tie Paul Molitor at 3,319. At the rate Pujols is hitting lefties, those numbers are definitely in play for the future Hall of Famer while he is wearing Dodger blue.