SUMMERLIN, Nev. • As blunt as the numbers were on the scoreboard every time he walked up to hit, the heavier struggles dragging on Dexter Fowler revealed themselves when his irrepressible, day-glow smile curved the way of his batting average, down, and then followed his playing time and for stretches vanished altogether.
He faced repeated questions about the reason for his sluggish performance. Nagging foot injuries had healed, he said. His legs were fine. No, he wasn’t ill. There was not an allergy, food poisoning, a virus or any other explanation offered for the lethargy that smothered his game.