The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped all three games of the recent series against the Atlanta Braves, defeats that were significantly caused by a lack of offense from the Boys in Blue.
Thursday night’s game was especially frustrating, given that the Dodgers were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
While the other games had more Dodgers hits, including going 3-for-12 with RISP on Tuesday and 4-for-14 on Wednesday, fans will remember those one-loss games for missed opportunities.
On Tuesday, superstar Shohei Ohtani led off the top of the ninth inning with a triple, then was left stranded 90 feet short of tying the game.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers twice ended an inning with the bases loaded, allowing the Braves’ Ha-Seong Kim, who hadn’t had a hit in three months, to hit a walk off single.
Naturally, Dodgers fans are frustrated, and you let us here at Dodgers Nation know what you see as going wrong — and how to fix it.
Dodgers fans call for change
Many commenters on the Dodgers Nation website demanded lineup and roster changes, specifically regarding outfielders Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker.
“Bench Teo and Kyle as Teo can’t hit a low outside pitch and Kyle cant hit anything. Both need remedial hitting coaching,” wrote EZIO DANTE TERZI.
“I do not know what good it is to have the best farm system in baseball if they are only used as trade bait. It doesn’t matter how good our starting pitching is if we can’t score any runs,” added Mike Pearl. “Why would we not bring [top prospect Josue] De Paula up to play center? If he is not ready now, he will never be ready. And what does it tell him? Why should he still grind if he does not get a shot like this?”
Bob Callighan agreed that it’s “time to bring up DePaula and maybe one more [prospect] to show some excitement in the team,” though he also put some blame at the foot of the team’s hitting coaches, Aaron Bates and Robert Van Scoyoc.
“The team has over a thousand strikeouts with four players over 100 and two more in their 90s, that’s not good,” he wrote. “Ohtani is leading the team and that is not good for a lead off hitter. The hitters never choke up when they get a two-strike count on them, they still swing for the fences. Also, there are several who have no idea of the strike zone. They swing at balls that hit the dirt, they swing at ones so far outside that they almost break their back trying to hit the ball. Then there are a few that cannot lay off a high pitch that is well out of the zone.”
Others put the blame on manager Dave Roberts.
“Unbelievable. Doesn’t Roberts learn?” asked J. Quincy Magoo. “He comes out with the same batting line-up, in the same order, that’s been consistently beating themselves, and expects a different outcome. I wish I could get paid millions for a job where I underachieved so averagely. How about the thought of promoting someone from within, like James Tibbs III, from Triple-A, who’s been having a very good year and hitting quite well, and given the low output from the bums on the big club, maybe they could use a push from behind to get their gears in focus.”
SHAKA808U suggested Roberts teach the Dodgers to focus more on the fundamentals of the sport.
“Team has no life, losing these one run games with this so-called all-star lineup is unacceptable,” they wrote. “Roberts, a protege of Maury Wills, must teach some of these guys how to BUNT, steal, get on base, situational hitting, and find a way to score that one measly run. With a [Chris] Sale, [Jacob Misiorowski], or any over dominating pitcher, the offensive game plan has to change to put pressure on the pitcher to make him move and make him rethink his game.”
Others, though, like Tom Welch, encouraged calm among the Dodgers faithful.
“I live in New England, and it seems the Dodger fans (and press) are becoming like those in Boston: every defeat is a catastrophe,” he wrote. “Last time I looked, Dodgers had the second best record in the National League. Losing three very close games to a good team is disappointing, but hardly a disaster. Until and unless they are at risk of missing the playoffs, chill.”
