Mookie Betts finds his groove on the road

Mookie Betts made the most of his return to Boston in a weekend series against the Red Sox.

He had seven hits, drove in four runs and hit his 35th home run, tying a career-high he set last year.

He hit .467 in the three games against the Red Sox, his first games in Fenway Park since being traded to the Dodgers. 

“I’m sure he’s going to sleep well tonight. I’m sure he’s physically and emotionally exhausted,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Associated Press after Sunday’s game. “But, man, he’s a pro and he does a great job of compartmentalizing. It’s fun when you have expectations for a superstar and he delivers. And he did.”

Betts raised his batting average to .315 and has entered the conversation for MVP. When he was playing for the Red Sox, Betts won the 2018 American League MVP, the same year the Red Sox beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

Now he’s leading the Dodgers to another playoff push.

It’s no coincidence the Dodgers are 21-4 in August, the same time Betts started turning it on at the plate. The Dodgers took two of three games against the Red Sox in Boston, went 4-2 last week on the road against the Cleveland Guardians and Red Sox, and are 17-3 in their last 20 games.

It took two days for the Dodgers to win the second game of the series against the Guardians. Clayton Kershaw started the game on Wednesday and went two innings before it was suspended because of rain. The game was completed on Thursday with Ryan Pepiot picking up the win. 

Betts ended up with five hits in the game too, a 6-1 win for the Dodgers.

Betts went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs in Sunday’s game against the Red Sox. The Dodgers won 7-4. 

He had another three-hit game Saturday against the Red Sox, going 3-for-6 with an RBI in an 8-5 loss.

In Friday’s game, Betts was 1-for-4 and scored two runs. The Dodgers won that game, 7-4.

He and Freddie Freeman combined for 14 hits in the three games against the Red Sox. 

The Dodgers have four more games to play in August and have a 12-game lead over those annoying Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West standings.

Dodger starting pitcher power rankings:

1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Caleb Ferguson
3. Lance Lynn
4. Bobby Miller
5. Julio Urias

The Dodgers (80-49) can put some more distance over the Diamondbacks in the standings this week. The Dodgers start a three-game series against the Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium tonight. They end the week at home with a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.