LOS ANGELES — Again in the eighth inning, the Los Angeles Dodgers had things lined up.
Their triumvirate of MVPs managed again to get on base. Baseball’s highest-paid reliever was on the ropes. This was the Dodgers’ chance, finally, to gain a foothold in this bumbling April.
Then Edwin Díaz rediscovered the strike zone. Teoscar Hernández struck out. Max Muncy struck out. So did each of the three hitters who faced Reed Garrett in the ninth inning of the New York Mets’ 6-4 victory.
Nothing is going well for the Dodgers. Baseball’s billion-dollar offseason has culminated in a roster that has already sprung leaks. After losing seven of their past nine games and dropping each series this homestand (which hadn’t happened since 2011), those leaks are becoming clear-cut holes. The eighth-inning disappointment Saturday continued a stretch marred by missed opportunities.
“I think it’s just a bad week, I really do,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But even with bad weeks, we still usually find ways to carve up a couple wins. But this week we haven’t. We usually play well at home. This week we haven’t.”
The Dodgers lost, 6-4. They are 12-11, losers of seven of their last nine.
They struck out 14 times, including six times with the bases loaded.
Time of game: 3:20.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 20, 2024
It’s hardly the dominance that the Dodgers displayed with their wallet this winter.
Their rotation isn’t healthy or consistent. Gavin Stone couldn’t get out of the fourth inning on Saturday despite allowing just one run. That’s what happens when you issue five walks, as the 25-year-old routinely struggled to get ahead in the count against New York’s left-handed heavy lineup.
The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a man short for weeks, and the team’s two offseason signings there — Ryan Brasier and Joe Kelly — continued their shaky starts and have a combined 6.27 ERA. Neither veteran has looked like their 2023 selves; finding a trustworthy arm has been challenging. Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol have yet to appear in a game and bright spot Kyle Hurt landed on the injured list Saturday with shoulder inflammation.
Their defense remains a question, with yet another error leading to an insurance run for the Mets in the later innings.
Even then, the Dodgers built themselves to try to slug their way through those potential deficiencies. Yet their lineup hasn’t been consistently good enough to make up for it.
The Dodgers’ stars remain stars. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman combined to reach base 12 times Saturday, with Freeman showing signs of life after a cold couple of weeks. Those are numbers you dream of when laying out such a fearsome trio.
Everyone else went 2-for-24 and reached base six times. No team in baseball has more strikeouts (221), which includes 13 on Saturday from hitters outside the top three in the order.
The chances remain there. The Mets — the only club in baseball with a higher payroll than the Dodgers — were more than willing to provide them.
“No team really showed they wanted the game,” Roberts said. “They gave us opportunities and we just couldn’t capitalize.”
The Dodgers took 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Eight at-bats came with the bases loaded. Six ended in strikeouts.
“I feel like right now we’re beating ourselves,” Muncy said.
Friday night, after another loss like this, Roberts asked for something resembling a complete game. Saturday resembled none of that.
“We’re in it,” Roberts said. “And you just gotta keep going. No one is gonna feel sorry for you. You have to play the game the right way and expect things to turn. I definitely didn’t foresee this.”
This wasn’t the start anyone envisioned. The first month has provided enough drama to fill multiple chapters in whatever book emerges from this billion-dollar concoction. Ten different pitchers are already on the injured list. Their lineup seemingly falls off a cliff once it reaches the lower third, so much so that the Dodgers have already had to pull from their farm system to give themselves a boost.
“When we lose this many games like this, it’s not the best atmosphere but we’re doing our very best to make sure we’re moving on and do our best in our next game,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. The club has held meetings to address the slide, Ohtani added.
“I think pitching and hitting, we haven’t been able to mix and match well. But I think all the games are really close and we are working hard to make sure that we come out on top. We just have to keep plugging away and move on.”
This, in all likelihood, is temporary. Last year’s Dodgers opened 9-10 and wound up winning 100 games. They were 13-7 in April in their 111-win campaign in 2022. They were below .500 on June 1 in 2018 when they won the pennant. At 12-11 now, they are reeling.
It is also only April 20. This collection of talent is obvious. Star power endures over six months.
“It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to weather the storm, grind through it and know that in the end, we’re going to be just fine,” Muncy said.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Jonathan Hui / USA Today)
