Dodgers: The Bad Offense Just Shattered a 112 Year Old Record
The problem certainly isn’t pitching with the Dodgers right now. The starters are doing everything that they can to keep pace with teams and have thrown the ball very well. The bullpen keeps getting put into games attempting to keep games close as they chase opponents.
But it’s the offense that has been a real issue early on. The Dodgers tallied just 4 hits in 29 at-bats on Friday night against the Padres, and in the process broke a really bad history record. Not the news that any of us were hoping for out of the best team in baseball.
The Dodgers have combined for just 23 hits over their last 6 games. That is their lowest mark for a 6-game span since September of 1909. A 112-year-old record broken in the worst way possible, and fans in Los Angeles couldn’t hate it more.
The worst part is that it’s not just one part of the lineup struggling. Top to bottom, the Dodgers just cannot seem to find a groove with the bat. Corey Seager and Mookie Betts are a combined 5-for-27(.185 BA) dating back to Monday’s game against the Mariners.
Dodgers Related: Doc Not Concerned With Stalled Out Offense
Justin Turner has just 2 hits of his own in that span while Max Muncy has just 1. All over the lineup, the Dodgers are floundering. And the fact that they’ve been so banged up health-wise only makes the matter worse.
The Dodgers have been forced to go with AJ Pollock against right-handed pitching as well as Edwin Rios against left-handed pitching. They’ve also had to use Luke Raley far more than anyone could’ve predicted this early in the season.
There is still a lot of time to right the ship, but this is getting UGLY.
Dodgers: Watch Cody Bellinger Take Live BP Recovering From His Injury
Watching the Dodgers last few games (especially the last 2) has been like watching paint dry. The Padres are rubbing our noses in it. I realize its a 162 game season, but this is truly pathetic.
It’s early. And the Padres still have yet to prove they are competitive with teams besides the Dodgers
It’s early but Dodgers obviously can’t use that as an excuse for too long. And their failure to balance the roster before the season began is part of this current offensive slump. And not having the DH has hurt this team but to be fair, no other NL teams have either. At the same time no other NL team has come close to this 112 year record so far this year either.
I have listened to Orel and Jody tell us what a great bench the Dodgers have since the beginning of spring training. Orel is a mouth and Jody just follows along.
All teams are going to have guys on the IL during the season and the Dodgers are going through a rough patch with the IL right now. But their bench is NOT what they raved about. Last night I watched Rios take 3 straight pitches over the plate and not swing at a one, hitting .118, (with a right hander pitching) and then run over towards the camera well the next time in the field and give up on a pop up that he could have and should have caught. And what I heard (sounding like coming from the well) was “he gave up on the ball, he gave up on the ball”. That seems to be where the bench is right now. They need to step up and hustle and take a page from McKinstry. Unfortunately, the best two hustlers on the team, McKinstry and Taylor are injured. The bench needs to take their head out and maybe, just maybe they’ll average more than 1.83 runs per game (last 6 games).
Dodgers have ZERO hits from the pinch hitters so far in 18 or 19 AB’s
Mike you are absolutely right, Rios should be cleaning out his locker and packing his gear and be heading to the alternate site. With him it is like having two pitchers in the batting order, not exactly true, Kershaw did swing the bat and produce a hit to the opposite field last night. Rios could leave his bat in the rack when he goes to the plate and the results would be the same. He did quit on that pop up, it’s his park he knows where the dugout rail is. He also handcuffed Kershaw on a play they practice for hours in spring training, simple PFP, luckily Kershaw was able to make the play on the toss down by his knees. I realize three second basemen are hurt now but never the less, Muncy should go back to first, Neuse could play second (he has in the past) and Rios should be sent packing.
Chip, I was going to suggest earlier what ya said about Rios. He needs to be sent to alternate site immediately! Whoever would replace him on the roster would already be an improvement.
With 14 pitchers and only 12 position players the bench is also on the short side.
Ya think? As I said it before this year started, with a LH heavy roster, no DH, and the fact that this lineup has players who are not able to compete against both sides of a pitcher and ya have this 112 year old record that was broken by this team. Bottom line, injuries not withstanding, the Padres have shown they are a superior team as of now.
Pretty easy to figure this out from my couch. % of fastballs seen is WAAAAAYYYY lower than previous years. Swinging and missing at breaking balls at an alarming rate and watching the occasional fastball go by for a strike…….or…..everyone needs glasses. Go Dodgers!
Get off the “feeling sorry for yourself look”. Not getting the breaks, line drives not falling in, Padres making the critical plays, giving them a defeated attitude and lack of focus. Miscues on routine fielding plays, bad AB’s, lack of hustle—- just bad overall baseball. Leaders are not leaders right now. Manufacture some runs for the SPers which are doing quite well. The whole MLB world is watching this series and seeing their vulnerability.
The Dodgers will get well and win the division, no need to panic. That starting pitching over a long season is just too good to be beaten. It would be nice to have another dependable right-handed bat these days, but Betts, Turner, Taylor and W. Smith (and Pollock vs. LH’s) will eventually get back to business as usual, no matter what happens in this four-game series. The bullpen is my chief concern these days, especially now with Knebel injured; I assume we’ll pick up another bullpen arm or two before the trade deadline…
…what is up with Seager’s fielding? I have no confidence when a ball is hit to him that we will get the out. That coupled with his putrid plate appearances, he should donate his paycheck to someone who really deserves it.
A. Fried made a huge, huge, huge mistake letting Jake McGee walk. What’s the fascination with reclamation pitching projects??????
You know Dave Roberts is the worst Mlb manager I have seen lead a team… He’s a lil coach that has no idea or gut feeling for the game. A manager that takes out pitchers in the 7th or 8th inning with a no hitter on the line! Get rid of him n we might win 3 in row….
Wow, after 15 games they were killing all of baseball, 13-2, and leading baseball in every offensive category. Then they had a 6 game offensive slump after facing some premium pitching along with injuries to key position players. Before the slump, they had 7 players with over a 1000 OPS, almost the whole line up. Sorry that kind of production doesn’t go on forever, reduction to the mean is a fact of baseball life. The world isn’t ending because of a 6 game bad stretch. Watch how magically the bats come alive when the Reds hit town. Some of you need to calm down and take a puff of the stuff.
And matching a 112 year record for hitting futility doesn’t or isn’t supposed to happen too often either. Slumps do happen in a long year but not like the current one.