LOS ANGELES — Joc Pederson blasted a shot deep to right ... He went through a little of everything during his time with the Dodgers; that experience seems to have made him a sort of touchstone ...

Two of the top teams in MLB meet for a three-game interleague series as the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Texas Rangers on ...

The Texas Rangers view Joc Pederson as their secret weapon ... The two-time All-Star debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 and spent the first seven years of his career with the team.

Pederson was dropped in the batting order Friday, but Bruce Bochy said it wasn’t as a concession to his struggles.

The Dodgers also have them — and more ... They are hoping Pavin Smith can help offset the loss of slugger Joc Pederson, and that better health in the rotation can help them improve a pitching staff ...

Slump continues ...

The Dodgers also locked up manager Dave Roberts ... runs with the Cleveland Guardians last season. Designated hitter Joc Pederson also departed. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same lineup ...

Texas Rangers shortstop and two-time World Series MVP Corey Seager has had a slow start to the season but was finally able to connect one for the stands during Sunday night's game against the Tampa Ba ...

Pederson is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs. Pederson will take a seat for the second time in the series while the Cubs send another lefty (Shota Imanaga) to the mound.

The Dodgers' group has a higher ceiling ... though replacing Christian Walker and Joc Pederson with Josh Naylor and a Pavin Smith-Randal Grichuk platoon is at best a wash and probably a downgrade.