The Los Angeles Dodgers have lost six games in a row for the first time in six seasons. (Photo by … More
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For the first time since April, 2019, the Los Angeles Dodgers have lost six games in a row. Is that the end of the world? Absolutely not. But is it a sign that everything isn’t so rosy for a team with a $337 million payroll (prior to any competitive balance taxes).
When the Milwaukee Brewers finished their three-game sweep of the Dodgers on Wednesday afternoon, it was the first time they had ever done that at home, and their first sweep of the Dodgers in eleven years. That wouldn’t be that noteworthy but for the fact that the Astros took three straight in Los Angeles last weekend.
What Is Wrong?
Much has been made about the Dodgers’ pitching injuries. They have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how they could keep their pitchers healthy; apparently to no avail. In June they had 14 pitchers on the injured list, 15 if you included Shohei Ohtani before he took the mound again on June 16th. Here is just a brief sampling:
- Evan Phillips: Out for the season.
- Gavin Stone: Out for the season.
- Blake Snell: Expected to be out until September.
- Brusdar Graterol: Expected to be out until September.
- River Ryan: Expected to be out until September.
- Michael Kopech: Expected to be out until September.
- Tony Gonsolin: Expected to be out until August.
- Roki Sasaki: Expected to be out until August.
- Blake Treinen: Expected to be out until later this month.
But now the injury bug is starting to affect everyday players as well. Max Muncy went down with a knee contusion on July 2nd, and is not expected back until mid-August. Kiké Hernández is out with left elbow inflammation, and will be on the shelf for at least another week. Teoscar Hernández fouled a ball off his foot last Saturday, and is day-to-day. And Tommy Edman is trying to play through a broken toe.
Those injuries are on top of the illness that befell Mookie Betts at the outset of the season, which caused him to lose around 25 pounds. While he would never make excuses, it is entirely possible that his recovery has impeded his offense this season (more about that below).
Freddie Freeman continues to have pre-game treatment for the ankle injury that required off-season surgery. But he was dealing with that when he came out of the gate like a house on fire. In his first 47 games, he slashed .374/.440/.638, with nine homers and 27 extra base hits. However, since June 1st, he is slashing .200/.258/.269, with just one home run. He has openly admitted that he’s been frustrated for about six weeks, and just needs to keep grinding through it.
Freddie Freeman has had way too many unproductive at-bats over the past six weeks. (Photo by Larry … More
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Betts is another issue for the club. Since June 11th, he is slashing .190/.224/.300, with two home runs and seven total extra base hits. His exit velocity is in the 27th percentile; his barrel percentage is in the 26th percentile; his hard-hit percentage is in the 20th percentile. His strike out percentage (10.1%) is still elite, which allows him to continue to put balls in play, but since he rarely ever walks, and when he hits it, he doesn’t hit it very hard, his on-base percentage is 54 points below his career average.
Ohtani has been a bit of an enigma for the team. He continues to rifle balls all over the field, is hitting more home runs than ever, but is also striking out more than he has since 2021. Many have wondered why Dave Roberts continues to bat Ohtani in the leadoff spot, but when you see that he is hitting .211 with a .421 slugging percentage with runners in scoring position, you may have your answer. And on the fifteen occasions in which he has come to the plate with a runner on third and less than two outs, he is 1-for-10 with three walks and two sacrifice flies. Not exactly gangbusters.
Max Muncy was just rounding into form when he went down with his fluke knee injury (Michael A. Taylor crashed into him trying to steal third base), so his bat will be sorely missed for the next month or so. If not for the All-Star season of catcher Will Smith, who knows where this team would be. As of this writing, Smith leads the National League in hitting (.326) and on-base percentage (.430). He currently has a 176 OPS+, making him 76% better than the average player.
Primed For a Bounce Back
There is a pretty high probability that the top three hitters in the lineup – Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman – will find their grooves and be more consistent as the season wears on. And if Muncy can come back healthy, Teoscar Hernández’s foot can heal allowing him to get back into form, and Will Smith continues his outstanding season, the Dodgers’ offense will be just fine.
But they will need their pitching staff to get healthy, and quick. Ohtani has been slowly building himself back on the mound, having not allowed a run in his last three (albeit short) appearances, throwing the fastest pitch of his career in his second outing. But, as of today, the team is 23rd in ERA (4.35) and 24th in FIP (4.32), and allowing 1.30 home runs every nine innings (also 23rd). On a positive note, Tyler Glasnow came back earlier this week, throwing five strong innings, striking out five, without allowing an earned run. The team has already used 35 pitchers this season, and may need to rely on that depth to get them to (and through) October. Dave Roberts has shown his mastery of using starters as relievers and relievers as openers, and getting the most out of the least. He may need to do so again.
Tyler Glasnow threw 72 pitches over five innings in his first game since coming off the injured … More
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If the Dodgers are going to right the ship and be the team that all prognosticators had them prior to Opening Day, the top of the order will need to start hitting and the pitching staff will need to improve, even if that requires another all-hands-on-deck approach to the post-season.
