Dodgers offense remains stuck in neutral as losses to playoff teams mount

This won’t last forever. The Colorado Rockies are up next.

The Dodgers can still beat awful teams, evidenced by how their series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend was preceded by a sweep of the Kansas City Royals, who sit at the bottom of the American League Central.

Only the Angels and Athletics have worse records than the Rockies, who are in last place in the National League West.

The anticipated three-game reprieve in Denver doesn’t change the broader picture for the Dodgers, however. 

“We haven’t been good,” third baseman Max Muncy said.

Outside of the Royals, every game the Dodgers have played has been against teams in postseason contention. 

They haven’t fared well.

They were swept by the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. They dropped two of three to the Arizona Diamondbacks, and most recently, three of four to the Brewers.

The Dodgers had a chance to split the series with the Brewers, but they were held to six hits in a 6-2 loss at Uniqlo Field. They scored only one run against Brewers rookie starter Logan Henderson, who completed seven innings for the first time in his career.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been consistent offensively,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I think, for me, it’s winning a 2-1 pitch and not chasing, winning a 3-2 pitch (and) taking a walk. We’re chasing in, we’re chasing away. I just don’t see a consistent plan of attack.”

The Dodgers scored an average of 5.3 runs per game through July 8, when their lead in the NL West was at a season-high 14 games. Since then, they have averaged just 3.8.

Both of the Dodgers’ runs came on home runs, one by Max Muncy and the other by Andy Pages. Down by a 4-1 score in the eighth inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases, only for Shohei Ohtahi to hit a 105.9 mph bullet to second base that resulted in an inning-ending doubleplay.

“We’ve actually been doing a really, really good job of getting on base,” Muncy said. “It’s just finding a way to get the run across.”

The sorry offensive effort wasted a valiant effort by Tarik Skubal, who pitched through the sixth inning after throwing 48 pitches in the first two. 

What it means

With 34 games to play, the Dodgers lead the San Diego Padres by seven games, which means they will have to suffer a historic collapse to not win the NL West. But their goal of securing a top-two seed in the NL and a first-round bye in the playoffs took a major hit, as the Brewers secured the season series between them by winning for the fourth time in seven meetings. That means that if the Brewers and Dodgers finish the regular season with the same record, the Brewers would own the tiebreaker.

“I really wanted to win this game because it could matter,” Roberts said. “I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.”

The Brewers currently have the NL’s best record at 77-48, followed by the Braves (74-50) and Dodgers (74-51).

Who’s hot

The day was an important one for Muncy, as he now has 10 years of major league service time. He commemorated the milestone with a fourth-inning home run that leveled the game at 1-1.

Discarded by the Athletics in 2017, Muncy was picked up by the Dodgers on a minor-league deal. He spent that year in the minor leagues. He was called up to the majors the following year and has been a mainstay in their lineup since.

“I’ve never cared about personal accomplishments,” Muncy said. “It’s always about getting the rings and winning, but 10 years is one of the few personal accomplishments that I actually am really, really proud of. That’s one that I cherish. There’s not many people that can make it to that point. For me, I was never supposed to make it to 10 years, and to be able to beat that and you know accomplish what I’ve accomplished here, it’s a special day. But then we go out there and throw a dud, so that really knocks it down a little bit for me.”

Who’s not

Kyle Tucker was hitless in three at-bats to complete a 0-for-19 homestand, but the worst part of his week came on the defensive side of the ball.

The $240-million right fielder dropped a flyball by Jackson Chuorio on the warning track, opening the floodgates for a two-run ninth inning that placed the game completely out of the Dodgers’ reach.

Tucker went into hiding after the game, as he didn’t make himself available to reporters.

Up next

The Dodgers will send Blake Snell (0-1, 5.00) to the mound for the opening game of a three-game series in Colorado against the Rockies, who will start Tomoyuki Sugano (12-5, 4.43).