The Dodgers just wrapped up August with a win in Detroit, but don’t let that final W fool you: it was a rough month, plain and simple. They finished August with a losing record, going just 13-14 after a barely-above-.500 July (13-11). What’s really wild is that they were outscored in July (113-105) and again in August (104-106). That’s the first time they’ve been outscored in back-to-back months since way back in April, May, and June of 2013! That’s a long time ago, and it really shows you the kind of offensive slump they’re in right now, even if their incredible 13-year playoff streak is still set to hit 14 this year.
The Offense Is Seriously Struggling to Get Traction
Honestly, the Dodgers’ bats have been asleep for two straight months. Last week’s road trip through Atlanta and Detroit was brutal, with the team scoring a measly 17 runs across six games. They’ve scored two or fewer runs nine times in August alone, which, get this, is apparently “pretty much in line with the rest of their season.” That is not a good look, folks. Alex Call somehow led the team with an .830 OPS in August, but he only batted 22 times. The only other guys cracking an .800+ OPS were Max Muncy (.828, 19 RBI) and Andy Pages (.802 in 19 games before a fastball broke his hand, ouch!). Freddie Freeman didn’t hit a single homer in his 26 games last month, clocking in with a 96 wRC+. Mookie Betts (97 wRC+), Teoscar Hernández (89 wRC+), Kyle Tucker (69 wRC+), and Tommy Edman (67 wRC+) were all below average. No wonder opposing starting pitchers, excluding those three games at Coors Field, finished August with a 3.29 ERA against them.
The Rotation Is Set and Ready to Dominate
Now, for the good news, and man, is it good. The biggest positive from August was getting Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow back from months on the injured list. This means the Dodgers’ postseason rotation is finally in place, with those two joining Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. What a foursome! These guys combined for a ridiculous 2.22 ERA across 16 starts, racking up 116 strikeouts against just 26 walks in 97 1/3 innings, good for a 23.6 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate. That’s elite. You gotta love that. On the flip side, the other guys Roki Sasaki, Eric Lauer, Justin Wrobleski, and Emmet Sheehan combined for a brutal 6.83 ERA in 11 starts (plus one relief appearance), gave up 16 homers, and posted a meager 9.9 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate. The Dodgers lost eight of those 11 starts, which highlights just how critical the return of Snell and Glasnow is.
Oh, and shoutout to Tommy Edman, who’s apparently a magnet for baseballs. He’s been hit by 10 pitches this season, the most by a Dodger since Freddie Freeman in 2024. Five of those came in a 12-day span last month, after he was hit by five in July too. The dude is the first Dodger since Dan McGann way back in 1899 to get plunked five times in two consecutive months. Wild stuff.
With that rotation locked in, the Dodgers have a serious chance to turn things around, even with the offensive woes. Can they ride that pitching through the next few weeks?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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