The Los Angeles Dodgers just hit a major snag on their road trip, dropping four of six games in Atlanta and Detroit, and it stings. What hurts even more is losing all three matchups against the Braves, which means they squandered the lead they previously held over Atlanta for one of the top two seeds in the National League postseason. Talk about a gut punch when you’re battling at the top.
The Batting Order Just Went AWOL
Look, the numbers don’t lie: offense was the absolute key culprit here. The Dodgers scraped together just 11 runs across those first five games. That’s an offensive blackout, plain and simple. What makes it even tougher to swallow is that all five of those games were decided by a single run. Zero margin for error, and guess what? Three of those heartbreaking losses came in the opponent’s last at-bat. You just can’t get it done when the bats go silent in crunch time. Teoscar Hernández was named Player of the Week for the Dodgers, having a productive week, and his Sunday home run was a small beacon, his first in 27 days and one of only two long balls all week. Tommy Edman got an honorable mention for the other homer and leading the team with three RBI. Two home runs total in a week when you’re fighting for a top spot? That’s rough.
And get this, on Friday in Detroit, the Dodgers won a game scoring only two runs. They had to scratch and claw for those two, but it wasn’t for lack of chances. They got on base a ridiculous 19 times in nine innings, with nine hits, nine walks, and a hit batter, and had multiple people on base in eight of nine frames. EIGHT of NINE! This marks the first time in 14 years the Dodgers reached base at least 19 times and scored two runs or less. The last time was August 26, 2012, against the Miami Marlins. To win a game like that? You have to go all the way back to a classic 22-inning affair in Montreal on August 23, 1989. That’s a wild stat that tells you just how much they struggled to turn traffic into runs.
Pitching Stepped Up, Despite One Bizarre Blip
Amidst the offensive woes, the pitching staff actually held its own. Pitcher of the Week Tyler Glasnow was fantastic coming off the injured list, allowing only four runs through 12 innings in his two starts. He stacked up 13 strikeouts against just one walk, showing he’s back to dominant form. The Dodgers’ postseason rotation , Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, and Glasnow , combined for an impressive 2.15 ERA with 38 strikeouts, five walks, and a 33.9-percent strikeout rate across 29 1/3 innings in their five starts. That’s lights-out stuff from your top guys, giving the team a real shot even when the offense was asleep.
But even with the rotation rolling, there was one eyebrow-raising moment. On Thursday in Atlanta, Ha-Seong Kim and Michael Harris II each swiped second base off Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Harris’s steal was even overturned to safe after a replay review. It was the first time in Yamamoto’s 82 career MLB games, including 81 starts, that he allowed multiple stolen bases in a single outing. While opposing runners have only four stolen bases in 24 starts against him this season, it just goes to show that even the best can have an unusual night.
The Dodgers now sit at 82-55 for the year. This rough road trip cost them a crucial lead for a top NL postseason seed, and they’ll need to figure out how to get those bats humming again if they want to reclaim that spot.
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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