The Los Angeles Dodgers faltered in a showdown with the San Diego Padres last weekend, though managed to avoid being swept by taking the series finale.
Some of the encouraging signs from their win at Petco Park then carried into a series against the Cincinnati Reds that the Dodgers swept. In doing so they became the first team to sweep the Reds this season.
That put the Dodgers on their first four-game winning streak since June 29-July 3, but it’s since been followed by back-to-back losses to an Arizona Diamondbacks team that was among the sellers at the trade deadline and had started to fade from the postseason picture.
The Dodgers suffered a second loss in a row to the Diamondbacks despite Tyler Glasnow taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning while fighting off a bloody finger early in his start. Glasnow kept the game locked in a scoreless tie until allowing three runs in the seventh.
“I think if you look at tonight, I thought Tyler threw the baseball well, which was really good to see. And I just think that tonight, there were a lot of things that I’m not going to get into that just lent itself to really uncharacteristic lack of focus,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the 6-1 loss.
“I just think that there were some things that, whether it’s an at-bat here or there, whether it’s a play here or there, that mistakes and execution that just can’t happen. Those guys earned the win, but I can also say, in some parts, we gave it away.
“We beat ourselves. So, yeah, this is a tough one. I mean, I just really can’t excuse it or rationalize it, I guess.”
While the Dodgers struggled offensively, as Roberts noted, they were hurt by multiple blunders.
Freddie Freeman was tagged out on his ill-advised attempt to take third base after leading off the fourth inning with a double.
In the fifth, Kiké Hernández was thrown out at home plate on Shohei Ohtani’s fly ball to left field. Hernández inexplicably attempted to score standing up and was tagged out just before he could touch the plate.
Since July 28, the Dodgers are now 6-10 against sub-.500 teams and 11-4 against opponents with a winning record.
“I mean, you’re just losing your edge,” Roberts opined of the difference in records. “I don’t like the playing your competition type thing, but it’s like we’re not getting up for teams that we should be. We should be getting up for everyone, regardless of record.
“So, yeah, I don’t have an answer to that. No excuse for that.”
Surprised with Dodgers’ lack of focus
The Dodgers’ focus and attention to detail has often come under question this season and especially of late with the playoffs fast approaching. It’s a reality that has surprised Roberts.
“There’s a lot of guys that have won, that have played well in big moments. I know that the guys understand where we’re at as far as the opportunity we have,” he said.
“I would expect them to take it and run, and seize the opportunity without me having to kind of make light of it or bring it to light, right? I mean, it’s right there. This is a great opportunity that we have, and you’ve got to embrace it. You got to want to be out there, you got to have fun competing.
“And it just seems like the last couple nights, at some points, it was an unrecognizable ballclub. We still have a lot of talent. We’re still in a decent spot, but we got to go play. We got to play better.”
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