It’s now two losses in a row for the Dodgers at the hands of the Astros. And while the second game wasn’t the blowout fans witnessed in Game 1, L.A.’s offensive struggles continue to be a glaring concern. The bats stayed quiet, the rhythm never clicked, and this time, it was Mookie Betts who found himself under the spotlight.

But the conversation didn’t stop there. On his birthday, all eyes turned to Shohei Ohtani, not just for celebration, but for answers. And in a rare moment of honesty, the two-way superstar opened up about what’s been going wrong with his own game and the team.

“We’ve had a losing streak, so I’d like to do my best to get the last game of the series tomorrow, oh, I’ll switch gears, and do my best to get the last one… Not quite happy with my offensive contribution. We lost two games against the Astros. So, it’s really important for us to win the next offensive and go home.” Ohtani went no-holds-barred, talking about the offensive lag of the Dodgers.

Shotime couldn’t spark the Dodgers’ offense after his solid inning on the mound. But Mookie Betts picked up the slack by connecting on a Framber Valdez curveball and launching it out for his second homer in the last three games. The game finished with a scoreless inning from Ohtani.

But despite failing to ignite the Dodgers’ offense, Ohtani looked sharp on the mound on Saturday against the Astros. He threw two scoreless innings in his fourth start of the season. Moreover, he struck out the side in order in the second and gave up just one hit, throwing 31 pitches with 21 for strikes.

While Ohtani put on a strong show on the mound, it was still not enough for the Dodgers to get the better of the Astros. And a part of the credit goes to Betts here.

Until the seventh inning, the Dodgers were going fine when Betts led off with a hit that got past Astros left fielder Cooper Hummel. But things took a sudden turn when Betts was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Now, he has acknowledged the misplay.

Mookie Betts explained that it was a complete misread by him, causing the momentum-break for the team. “I read the throw right,” Betts said… “Usually, the third baseman is lined up to third, but he wasn’t in line with third. So a misread for sure.”

Even after that error, Betts remains one of the only hopes for the Dodgers in the series against the Astros.

Mookie Betts is hinting at returning to his best

If you are aware, this year hasn’t been smooth sailing for Betts. His season started with missing the Tokyo Series due to a stomach bug, and then came the fractured hand. The Dodgers are majorly playing without their staple shortstop for a huge stretch of this season.

However, that doesn’t mean Betts’ utility is over. Rather since coming back from IL, he is steadily on the path of getting back to his best. If you check the last few games, you will find how the 8x All-Star is swinging the momentum in the Dodgers’ favor. His recent game against the Astros speaks volumes. Notably, he hits a home run, which is his second in his last three games.

Still, Betts’ below-par stat in comparison to the leading shortstop, Jeremy Pena, might be a point of concern. Pena is hitting .322 and has already accumulated 102 hits. In contrast, Betts is hitting .249 and 80 hits. While Betts may seem miles away from his best, he is in the right direction. At least his last 3 games are indicating the same.

Now, talking about the last game against the Astros, Betts’ home run off Framber Valdez was about to change the course in favour of his team, if the error had not happened. But despite it all, that showed Betts could bring the Dodgers out of danger in the coming months.

Clearly, the Dodgers got something positive out of their haunting series against the Astros. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, just when the league is entering its second half. Moreover, with the Dodgers hitting .229 in the last five games, the resurgence of Mookie Betts might be just another thing they could have expected for a turnaround.