by Megan Garcia
The team perched at the top of the National League West is getting a closer look at ground level.
In the last couple of weeks, it’s been the Dodgers against the high expectations that were set before the season started. They were labeled as dominant with a strong pitching staff and one of the best lineups in baseball. But a rut that has led to losing 10 of their last 12 games has them looking like a different team.
The frustration is palpable after the Dodgers were swept by the Brewers with Sunday’s 6–5 loss.
“These guys are competitors, and losing stinks,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Guys are getting frustrated. You see more emotion coming, but you’ve got to find a way to reset and come back fresh tomorrow and play good baseball. These six games (in two weeks) against the Brewers, we just haven’t played good baseball.”
Three errors by the Dodgers on Sunday were the latest symptom of the recent woes. Two errors resulted in runs for the Brewers, as well as an increased pitch count and a fifth-inning exit for Clayton Kershaw.
He threw 81 pitches (49 strikes) over 4 1/3 innings. The fourth inning spelled trouble when the Brewers scored three runs (one earned) against him to tie the game 3–3.
Kershaw recorded two strikeouts and one walk in his 11th start.
“I thought I pitched OK, just made some mistakes,” Kershaw said. “I was just frustrated. It happens. We’re not playing well as a team. I wanted to help win the game today and didn’t do enough to do it. That’s frustrating.”
The Dodgers provided some hope that the offense they’ve expected all year is lurking in the shadows.
They scored 12 runs in their last two games against the Brewers. It’s a trend in the right direction after they scored 10 runs over six games when the rut began on July 4.
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Shohei Ohtani and Esteury Ruiz powered Sunday’s offense.
Ohtani’s two-run homer in the third extended the Dodgers’ lead to 3–0. It was his first homer as a №2 hitter since June 16, 2024, when he hit two against the Royals. It was also the last time he was the Dodgers’ №2 hitter before Sunday.
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Ruiz’s first homer as a Dodger broke a 3–3 tie in the fifth against Brewers’ starter José Quintana, but the Brewers took a 6–4 lead in the sixth with a pair of singles.
The Dodgers threatened a comeback in the bottom of the ninth with Dalton Rushing’s RBI single but ultimately came up short when Mookie Betts lined a 102-mph drive into the glove of center fielder Blake Perkins.
The Dodgers lead the NL West by 3 ½ games.
Freeman likely day to day after HBP
Freddie Freeman exited the game with a left wrist contusion after he was hit by a pitch from Quintana in the sixth. Roberts said Freeman’s X-rays were negative and it’s possible he may be day to day.
The Dodgers’ NL West lead slips as they’re swept by the Brewers was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.