by Mark Langill
Like an overheated marathon runner yearning for a water station, the weary Dodgers staggered into their series finale in Milwaukee on Wednesday knowing their relief was on the horizon.
The All-Star break that begins after this weekend’s series at San Francisco can’t come soon enough.
After a 3–2 setback in 10 innings at American Family Field, the Dodgers have lost six straight for the first time since 2019. It was the Brewers’ first-ever sweep against the Dodgers in Milwaukee.
Trailing 2–1 in the ninth inning, the Brewers tied the game in the ninth inning with three hits off Tanner Scott and won the game in the 10th on Jackson Chourio’s one-out single off Kirby Yates (4–3).
The Dodgers could only scrape together two runs in a pair of bases-loaded situations. The Dodgers were 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-19 in the series.
“We had a chance to win the game, but we couldn’t finish,” Dodger manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s tough. It’s one of those things that we’ve got to find a way to weather it. You don’t want guys trying to get it all back with one swing. I think the messaging is to keep taking the at-bats we took today.
“It will turn. But when you’re mired in it, it’s frustrating. But we still have some pretty good players.”
Right-hander Tyler Glasnow was solid in his first pitching appearance since April 27. Glasnow, sidelined due to shoulder inflammation, allowed one unearned run on two hits in five innings.
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Glasnow said he didn’t think about his mechanics, which were analyzed during his time on the injured list. Instead, he focused on being “athletic” and wasn’t worried whether his velocity would return. Glasnow struck out five and walked three.
“I think (the stuff has) always been there,” he said. “It’s just a matter of doing it more often. I’ve never worried about not having it. I just need to get into a rhythm and doing it more and getting back into a starting routine. It helps to be with the team. Getting on the mound is the biggest thing. I felt strong and I’m ready to go again after the break.”
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Before Wednesday’s game, the Dodgers made room for Glasnow on the roster by moving reliever Michel Kopech to the 60-day injured list.
The Milwaukee finale gave the Dodgers a chance to evaluate the status of Glasnow, the 6-foot-8, 225-pound right-hander who could be a key member of the rotation the rest of the way.
“Tyler pitched well,” Roberts said. “The pitch count got up there, so five is what he gave us. But I thought it was a positive from coming out of today.”
The Dodgers scored first in the fifth inning. With two out, Miguel Rojas walked and went to third on Esteury Ruiz’s single to center — the Dodgers’ first hit of the game. James Outman walked to load the bases and Quintana forced home Rojas with a four-pitch walk to Shohei Ohtani.
The Brewers quickly tied the game in their fifth. Leadoff hitter Jake Bauers walked and went to second on Glasnow’s balk. Bauers stole third base and scored on catcher Will Smith’s throwing error.
The Dodgers went ahead 2–1 in the seventh inning on an infield single, two walks and a sacrifice fly by Mookie Betts.
But the Dodgers weren’t able to hold the lead.
The Dodgers (56–38) still have the best record in the National League, but the defending World Series champions have looked shaky on their way to closing out the first half.
Just a week ago, the Dodgers were riding high after a 5–4 victory over the Chicago White Sox, a magical night in which a sellout crowd at Dodger Stadium watched Clayton Kershaw record his 3,000th career strikeout. Los Angeles was a season-high nine games ahead of San Diego on July 3 and had a two-game lead over Detroit for the best record in baseball.
But the Houston Astros swept the weekend series, and the woes have continued on the road.
For those yearning for a silver lining, the 2024 Dodgers suffered a similar stretch before the All-Star break, going 1–6 in their last seven games on July 7–14, capped by a pair of walk-off losses in Detroit. Those low points were buried in the fine print during the championship season.
Dodgers continue to be off track as first-half end nears was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.