MIAMI -- When the All-Star Game rosters were announced on Sunday, Dodgers star outfielder Mookie Betts wasn¡¯t expecting to be part of the selections for the National League reserves. He hasn¡¯t been happy with his production and thought there were other outfielders who were deserving of the honor.

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But because Betts has solidified himself as one of the best players in the Majors over the last few seasons, his peers ultimately voted him into his fifth career All-Star Game. Even he was surprised.

¡°Absolutely,¡± Betts said, when asked if he was surprised about the All-Star selection. ¡°Obviously I haven¡¯t played that great, so I was definitely surprised but also very thankful for making the team.¡±

Betts is right, he hasn¡¯t played great this season -- at least not up to his standards. He entered Tuesday's game with a .247 batting average, which would easily be the lowest of his career. Still, Betts has a .812 OPS, which is above league average. For Betts, however, just being above league average isn¡¯t enough.

Despite finishing as the runner-up in the NL MVP race last season, Betts called his season ¡°serviceable¡± during Spring Training. If he considers a season in which he posted a .927 OPS simply ¡°serviceable,¡± then what does he think about his first half this season?

¡°Bad,¡± Betts said. ¡°This would be bad.¡±

Finding out why he¡¯s been ¡°bad¡± is what Betts will try to figure out over the next few months. He alluded to the fact that he¡¯s not quite sure why he¡¯s struggling at the plate more than he has in the past. He has felt close to having things click, but hasn¡¯t quite been able to find the consistency.

Part of Betts' issue could be related to not hitting fastballs as well as he has in the past. Betts entered Tuesday hitting .269 against the heater, which is significantly lower than his .324 clip last year, his .303 average in 2019 and his ridiculous .375 clip during his AL MVP Award-winning season with the Red Sox in ¡®18.

Betts' lack of success against the heater could be opening him up to struggles against breaking pitches. His average has also declined against those types of pitches, going from .233 last season to .195 this year. The next step for Betts is finding if those struggles are related to certain mechanical issues.

¡°We¡¯ve had guys step up and we¡¯ve had guys play well and kind of carry the team,¡± Betts said. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m just trying to do whatever I can to help us stay on track and hopefully I can get on track and help us put up some more 'W¡¯s.¡±

Even with Betts¡¯ struggles, the Dodgers are 21 games over .500 (53-32), which bodes well for the team¡¯s chances in the second half. They are still confident that Betts won¡¯t be ¡°bad¡± in the second half, and manager Dave Roberts said they have underlying numbers that suggest Betts is getting closer to producing at a high level.

¡°I think 'bad' is very strong, but I do like the expectations because it¡¯s all relative. When you¡¯re talking about a player of his caliber, the bar is certainly higher, and rightfully so,¡± Roberts said. ¡°He¡¯s a winning player, and we wouldn¡¯t be where we¡¯re at without him. He¡¯s an easy guy to bet on.¡±

Roberts invites Smith to All-Star staff
Roberts had been hinting at a special addition to his All-Star Game coaching staff, and it was finally revealed on Tuesday. Roberts invited former Major Leaguer Reggie Smith, who played six seasons with the Dodgers.

Roberts said Smith got ¡°choked up¡± when he gave him the call.

¡°It was pretty emotional,¡± Roberts said. ¡°He¡¯s a friend and mentor. I¡¯ve known him for many years, and what he did in the game of baseball, what he did off the field, what he continues to do off the field for the urban youth, shouldn¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡­ I know Reggie and his family are thrilled.¡±

Updated pitching plans
The Dodgers made a slight adjustment to their pitching plans, deciding to now go with a bullpen day on Wednesday against the Marlins. Julio Ur¨ªas was originally scheduled to pitch, but the left-hander will now start Thursday's series finale. Clayton Kershaw will pitch on Friday against the D-backs, with Walker Buehler and Tony Gonsolin likely slated to wrap up the first half on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The decision to go with a bullpen game on Wednesday instead of Friday was made because it gives the starters an extra day of rest.