Tyler Glasnow delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins on April 9, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Across the 27 innings of the series against the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers only scored in three – losing to the Cubs 4 – 2 in the series finale on Sunday night.
The Dodgers opened the season with power, remaining the last undefeated team after the San Diego Padres fell to the Cubs. Yet their perfect run came to an end with a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies. Since then the team has slipped from an 8 – 0 record to 11 – 6.
Continuous Series Loss
One of the main issues behind the recent losses is the team’s underperforming offense. In the past few games, a lack of offensive production has played a significant role in their growing losing streak.
Over the weekend’s series against the Cubs, the Dodgers started off strong with a 3 – 0 victory. Their momentum didn’t last long with a dramatic 16 – 0 loss the following day.
Sunday night’s game got off to a promising start behind a solid outing from right-hander Tyler Glasnow, but with minimal offensive support, the Dodgers ultimately fell 4 – 2.
Utility player Enrique Hernandez singled home the first-run in the second inning, hitting his first hit of the season that wasn’t a home-run. In the sixth, Max Muncy delivered a sacrifice fly to briefly tie the game, but the Cubs quickly responded to reclaim the lead.
However, that was just about the only offense the Dodgers managed for the rest of the game.
This is the third continuous series the team has lost, while just nearly avoiding a sweep in last week’s series against the Washington Nationals.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto helped extend their winning streak to two in an impressive start in their return to Los Angeles, striking out nine with only one walk and two hits across six scoreless innings.
But in the two games that followed, there was a concerning lack of support from a lineup as stacked as the Dodgers’.
“At some point, we were going to play [bad] baseball, and it just seemed like this was the week to do that,” Hernandez said in a report from the Daily Breeze.
Confidence Remains Despite Recent Slump
With the season still in its early stages, the team isn’t overly concerned about their recent struggles.
“I think it’s just a bumpy two weeks,” shortstop Mookie Betts said. “We’ve got a long time. We’ve got a long season to go. A lot can happen. This isn’t the first time we’ve sucked for two weeks. It just happens that it’s right now.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts knows the strength of his team’s offense, but sees how recently it just hasn’t worked out the way they’ve wanted it to.
“Our DNA as an offense, we do a really good job of beating the starter and getting the pitch count up and getting to the pen,” he said in a report from MLB. “And I think for me, that stands out. It’s going to happen. It’s just in this last nine – 10 game stretch, it just hasn’t.”
The Dodgers kick off the three-game series against the Colorado Rockies tonight, with first pitch set for 10:10 p.m. E.T. Expectations are high for the defending World Champions to bounce back, as the Rockies are considered to have the worst offense in Major League Baseball.
