When the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers left town on July 29 for their (thankfully) just-concluded eight-game/three-city road trip that took them through Houston, San Diego, and Oakland, they did so with a relatively comfortable 6.5-game lead over the NL West second-place San Diego Padres, a 7.0-game lead over the third-place Arizona Diamondbacks, a 10.5-game lead over the fourth-place San Francisco Giants, and a 25.0-game lead over the last-place Colorado Rockies.
That lead is now 4.5, 5.0, 9.5, and 24.5 games respectively, after losing two of three to the Astros at Minute Maid Park, both games to the Padres at Petco Park, and one of three to the A’s at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
Prior to Sunday’s series – and road-trip – finale against the A’s, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts finally owned up to what Dodger fans have been screaming about for the past two weeks:
“For me, regardless of who we have, you know, active, we gotta… we gotta play better baseball, and the opponents are, you know, gonna be difficult,” Roberts finally admitted on Sunday.
(SportsNet LA)
Those “opponents” for the upcoming six-game homestand (which begins on Monday) are the NL East first-place Philadelphia Phillies (three games), and the NL Central third-place Pittsburgh Pirates (three games).
“…difficult,” indeed.
Granted, playing without superstar future Hall of Famers Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman has had a profound impact on Roberts’ (current) 65-47 Dodgers, but it takes nine guys to win a game, a series, a Division Series, a League Championship Series, and a World Series, not just two guys, and to be brutally honest, the rest of Roberts (almost) everyday starting line-up has been mediocre, at best.
Ironically, the guy who played the best during that ugly just-concluded 3-5 road trip was super-utility infielder/outfielder (and occasional right-handed reliever) Kiké Hernández, who went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs in Sunday’s road-trip finale in Oakland.
(SportsNet LA)
Yes, Dave, your team play needs to “play better baseball.”
NOW.
Play Ball!
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