by Megan Garcia
The Dodgers have hit their roughest patch of the season after losing 3–1 to the Brewers in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
They have lost five games in a row.
The offense, which ranked second in baseball with 5.5 runs per game entering Tuesday, has stalled. Pitching has teetered between shut-down innings and blow-up innings.
The Dodgers’ lead in the National League West has dwindled from nine games to 5 1/2 games since July 3.
With their 3–1 loss to the Brewers on Tuesday, the Dodgers have been outscored 41–8 in the five-game losing streak. This is the fourth game in which the Dodger offense has scored only one run in that span.
It was expected that Milwaukee’s rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski was going to be a tough battle because of his mix and velocity, despite only having 19 2/3 Major League innings to his resume before Tuesday.
He struck out 12 in six innings and allowed one run.
“It never feels good when you lose five in a row,” said manager Dave Roberts. “But today, I think it was one of those days where…it didn’t matter who was out there (for us). He was really good tonight. So, try to wash it off and fortunately, we have a day game tomorrow that we can get back, and (I’m) excited for Tyler (Glasnow) to take the mound again.”
Glasnow, who hasn’t appeared in a Major League game since April 27, will be activated from the 60-day injured list on Wednesday.
Shohei Ohtani’s leadoff homer against Misiorowski was the lone run for the Dodgers on Tuesday.
His 31st home run set a new Dodger franchise record of homers hit before the All-Star break. Cody Bellinger set the record by hitting 30 in his 2019 MVP season.
“Just really good stuff, aggressive in the zone,” Ohtani said of the rookie Milwaukee pitcher. “But what really stood out to me was his command and control.”
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Clayton Kershaw, in his first game since reaching 3,000 strikeouts, allowed two earned runs through six innings against the Brewers in an impressive outing. It was a much-needed breather for a relief core that has allowed 31 earned runs in 22 innings through four games entering Tuesday.
Kershaw retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced and worked around a troublesome two-run fourth
“That’s just baseball, it’s just part of it,” Kershaw said of the Brewers’ weak contact that gave them the lead. “I always think there’s a lineout waiting to happen. I don’t think about it in terms of bad luck or good luck, it’s just baseball.”
The Dodgers last lost five consecutive games between May 21 and May 26, 2024.
Dodger struggles have led to a season-high losing streak was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.