In their last 21 games, dating back to April 18thThe Los Angeles Dodgers are 8-13. And while they outscored their opponents 82-80 in that period, they were fueled by two 12-run outbursts. In the other 19 games, they averaged just three runs per game. Compare that to the fact that, this season, they are averaging just over five runs per game. If the three-run clip can be caught, that would put them just ahead of the Mets and Giants for worst in baseball. What happened?
First, one only needs to look at the top of the list, where four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani has had his worst start since 2021. As of April 18thhe is hitting .205/.326/.308, with just one home run. He has hit 23 times vs. Only 13. For the season (and when he recently hit nothing when he pitched), it’s not much better: .233/.363/.404)
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From his day off on April 18thfirst baseman Freddie Freeman is slashing .247/.313/.342, with just one home run. He also has a 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio.
What about the $60-million man, Kyle Tucker? In these 21 games, he is hitting .263/.352/.434, with two homers. Surprisingly, these numbers are actually an improvement over his early season.
What about Teoscar Hernández, who was demoted to eighth in the batting order? How about .212/.333/.424. He has just two more hits (both doubles) during this spell. And, not surprisingly, no dingers.
Hunter Will Smith, who has been given a bit of a break lately with the emergence of hunter (and rabble rouser) Dalton Rushing, isn’t rocking it either. He is hitting .236/.288/.327, with one homer and two doubles over this stretch of games.
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Center fielder Andy Pages, who had a breakout season, then came out swinging to start the year, was mostly average over the past 21 games: .253/.292/.446, but with eight extra-base hits, including four doubles.
Alex Freeland (.235/.309/.337) before he was sent down to Triple-A on Monday, Hyeseong Kim (.282/.345/.385), and October legend Miguel Rojas (.250/.292/.350), gave the Dodgers almost no production at second base.
One bright spot is third baseman Max Muncy. As of April 18this hitting .304/.407/.580, with five homers, nine extra-base hits, and 10 RBI. He hits many times when he walks.
Mookie Betts rejoined the lineup Monday night, five weeks after leaving the IL with a strained oblique, and went 1-for-5 in his first game, a sharp single up the middle that came off a 103-mph bat. Maybe Betts can start a flagging offense.
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In 2024, when Los Angeles won its first of two consecutive World Series titles, as a team they hit .258/.335/.446, and never lost more than five in a row.
Last season, when they won the World Series in a tough seven games against the Blue Jays, they hit .253/.327/.441, and endured a seven-game losing streak, along with just two four hitters.
When they face the Giants tonight at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers will be in danger of snapping a four-game losing streak for the third time in less than a month. Does this mean they won’t win the National League West, where they are currently tied for first with the Padres? Or that they won’t win the third penalty in a row? Or that they don’t remain favorites to win the World Series (they still sit in the polls by a large margin)? The answer to all these questions is a resounding “no”.
The Dodgers are always the class of baseball, but the Padres are kicking their heels in the NL West; the Braves and Yankees moved ahead in the power ratings released Athletic; and they seem to be grasping at new/different straws, with the signing of Diamondback castoff Alek Thomas.
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We are only a quarter of the way through the 2026 season. As they say, there is still a lot of baseball left to be played. But the Dodgers, with that big bull on their back, could do well to start hitting…even if only a little.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
