A summer that began with one of baseball’s best offenses has shifted: Los Angeles now trails more often, scores fewer runs, and has lost multiple games in the late innings. The pitching rotation will help, but the lineup must produce more often and earlier.
The Dodgers still hit well with runners in scoring position (121 wRC+) but receive fewer such opportunities (209 RISP plate appearances, 9.09 per game, 21st in MLB).
Late-inning losses are piling up: five of 12 August defeats featured the winning run scored in the eighth inning or later.
# What changed since June
Starting July 1 the profile flipped. From July into August the Dodgers batted ahead only 35.8% of the time while trailing 38.5% and tied 25.7%. In the club's last 47 games they have batted more often while trailing than while ahead. That change helps explain why many losses have been decided late.
# Concrete problem areas The team's August line: 4.13 runs per game and a 94 wRC+, which ranks 20th in MLB. Specific players who have struggled this month include Kyle Tucker (.192/.267/.308, 58 wRC+) and Teoscar Hernández (.247/.276/.384, 80 wRC+). Freddie Freeman has produced below his usual standards (77 wRC+ in August) and Tommy Edman sits at an 80 wRC+ even after a recent multi-hit game.
Pages for several weeks, reducing outfield depth and lineup options.
# Situational hitting and opportunity mismatch When runners are in scoring position the Dodgers are hitting well:.287/.368/.453 and a 121 wRC+, third-best in MLB for the month. The issue is volume. They have had just 209 plate appearances with RISP in August — 9.09 per game — which ranks 21st in baseball. Hitting well in those spots is useful, but the team gets fewer of them than contenders typically do.
Game examples underline the problem. Against the Brewers at Dodger Stadium the Dodgers trailed in 76 of 135 plate appearances (56.3%). In the first two games of the Atlanta series they trailed in 35 of 84 plate appearances (41.7%). Across several recent losses the offense had limited opportunities to seize leads and stranded key runners late.
# Late-inning struggles
# What's next and why pitching isn't a fix-all The Dodgers will have four playoff-capable starting pitchers scheduled over the next four games, which improves their chance of stealing wins. But relying solely on starting pitching is risky when the offense has become inconsistent and produces fewer RISP opportunities. The lineup needs to create more early- and mid-game advantage so the bullpen and late-inning defense aren't under constant pressure.
# Bottom line
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...
With no power to speak of—finishing the game with nothing but singles in their 10 hits—the Brewers took advantage of Edwin Díaz’s struggles to mount a late comeback and beat the Dodgers 5-4 in one of these teams’ most excruciating losses of the season. While Roki Sasaki has never been confused with a starter who […]
Los Angeles dropped three of four to Milwaukee this weekend in what's been a tough stretch since the All-Star break.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers won the first game of their seven-game homestand on Monday, but thoughts still turned to not only their recent eight losses in nine games but also their general malaise as a team for the past six weeks. Earlier Monday, Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic wrote about how inept the Dodgers […]
The Dodgers took their lumps on the road, dropping four of six games in Atlanta and Detroit. Most importantly they dropped all three games to the Braves, squandering the lead the Dodgers previously held over Atlanta for the race to one of the top two seeds in the National League postseason. Offense was the key […]
The Dodgers are now on a two-game winning streak after securing a walk-off victory against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. Although the bullpen nearly cost the Dodgers with a three-run implosion in the top of the eighth inning, the highlight early on was the return of two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell. Snel
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.