Slumping Beltre Goes to the Bench

Somewhere inside third baseman Adrian Beltre is what Dodger batting instructor Jack Clark describes as a “magical swing,” a short, quick and powerful stroke that Beltre often displays in the batting cage. But when the games begin, that swing magically disappears.

“For some reason he doesn’t trust it enough to take it out there with him,” Clark said. “It’s unbelievable the different kinds of swings and the bat control he has, but when he goes out there, he takes that big swing.... I want him to hit, not just swing.”

Beltre has done plenty of swinging and virtually no hitting lately. Mired in a one-for-34 slump, with no runs batted in, one run, one walk and nine strikeouts in his last eight games, Beltre was benched in favor of Tyler Houston on Friday.

Beltre was so hot after the All-Star break, batting .370 with eight homers, nine doubles, 29 runs batted in and 29 runs in 35 games, Tracy moved him to the third and fourth spots in the order in early August. But Beltre has slipped into some old, bad habits, swinging for the fences, swinging at too many bad pitches, and trying to pull too many balls to left. His average fell from .273 to .258.

“Sometimes you need the two-run home run, and to his credit, he takes a shot at it,” Clark said. “Sometimes, he takes two or three shots at it.... You don’t have to look for the big hurt all the time. Use the whole field and try to find a happy medium, where you’re a little more under control. When he does that, he’s really good.”

When he doesn’t, he looks lost, a fact that is not lost on opposing pitchers.

“They expand the [strike] zone on him,” Clark said. “You can see them going up and out of the zone and down in the dirt. He has to be patient. If a pitcher beats you, fine, but you don’t want to see him get himself out.”

Manager Jim Tracy praised Beltre for not letting his slump affect his defense--Beltre has two errors since the All-Star break--but he believes Beltre is trying too hard at the plate.

“That comes from realizing what’s at stake for this club and how little time there is left in the season, and as a young player, he’s trying to get it fixed way too fast,” Tracy said. “You start to see the body language of a player who is really searching, and that’s when you need to give him a chance to step away.”

What Beltre is searching for, he isn’t sure. Asked what the difference is between his swing now and two weeks ago, Beltre said: “I have no idea. I’m seeing the ball good, swinging and missing. Obviously, something is missing, but it’s not like I feel lost at the plate.”

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Andy Ashby, who missed his last start because of an infection on the middle finger of his throwing hand, threw 50-60 pitches during a bullpen workout Friday and declared himself fit to start Sunday against the Rockies.... An MRI test on Kazuhisa Ishii’s fractured skull was normal, and Ishii, who is out for the season after being hit in the head by a line drive Sunday, was released from the hospital Friday.

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TODAY

DODGERS’

ODALIS PEREZ

(13-9, 3.05 ERA)

vs.

ROCKIES’

VICTOR SANTOS

(0-3, 8.27 ERA)

Coors Field, Denver, noon

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--Santos, a right-hander who spent most of the season in triple A, is filling in for Colorado left-hander Mike Hampton, who was scratched because of an injured right foot. Perez looks to rebound from Monday night’s rocky start in San Francisco, when the left-hander gave up five runs in six innings of a 6-5 loss.