Dodgers’ losing streak hits six games: World Series favorites see flaws exposed after second straight sweep

The Los Angeles Dodgers have Thursday off to accommodate travel from Milwaukee to San Francisco ahead of a three-game set against the Giants, but it’s unlikely that they had a happy flight. The Dodgers, so accustomed to sawing through their regular-season schedule, find themselves in an unusual spot: tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates for the longest losing streak in all the majors, at six.

How rare is this kind of stretch from the Dodgers? It’s the first time since 2019 that Los Angeles has dropped six contests in a row. What’s more is that the Dodgers’ minus-34 run differential over that span is the worst they’ve compiled across a six-game set since 1958, or the first season after they relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, according to CBS Sports research. Credit that second statistic to the 18-1 thumping they received from the Houston Astros on Friday, as well as the 9-1 defeat they suffered on Monday versus the Brewers.

While no one should fret too much about What It All Means for the Dodgers long-term — bear in mind, they still have the best record in the National League and a five-game edge over the Giants in the NL West (though that could change in a hurry if they take their struggles with them to the Bay Area). Still, you might be wondering: what’s going on here? 

The simplest answer is that both the lineup and the bullpen are slumping at the same time, against high-quality opponents who they could eventually meet in the postseason. Let’s break it down.

1. Inept offense 

The Dodgers have fielded the second-most productive offense in the majors this season, according to FanGraphs’ wRC+ metric (a catch-all measure that adjusts for ballpark). You don’t even need that statistic to accept that they can really hit. The Dodgers rank second in the majors in home runs, first in runs batted in, sixth in average, and second in both on-base and slugging percentage. The lineup is as good as it is star-laden. Yet the Dodgers have scored two runs or fewer in five of these six losses, including one run in four of them. 

If you ever wanted evidence that even great hitters slump, well … here you go. Take a look at how Los Angeles’ most-used hitters have performed over the last week:

Again, there’s no real reason to worry about these individuals heading forward, but good luck sustaining a rally when your best hitters are struggling to break a .700 OPS.

2. Sieve-like bullpen

It’s no secret that the Dodgers have a lot of pitchers on the injured list. Blake Snell, Gavin Stone, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and River Ryan would be a fine rotation on its own, and Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, and Blake Treinen would (and previously did) form a quality “A” bullpen. 

Consider it a testament to the Dodgers’ evaluative and coaching abilities that they’re even in position to compete despite being without those arms. And yet, lately, the pitching staff has shown some signs of cracking — particularly the bullpen.

Here’s how the Dodgers bullpen has fared as a group in each of the six losses:

You can pity the Dodgers relievers a bit here, since that stretch included starts from Shohei Ohtani (who continues to be limited in his workload) and disaster outings from Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Ben Casparius (himself usually a reliever). Still, do the math on the numbers above, and Dodgers relievers have combined to surrender 29 runs in six games — or, if you prefer, 29 runs over 30 ⅔ innings pitched. That’s never going to get it done, but especially while the offense is sputtering.

3. Rough schedule

Let’s give the Dodgers’ opponents some credit here too. For as banged up as the Astros are at this point, they have a commanding lead in the American League West and one of the best run differentials in the majors. 

The Brewers, for their part, are again in the thick of the NL Central race, having long since recovered from a dreadful 0-4 start to the campaign.

There’s a long way to go between now and October, but it’s wholly possible that the Dodgers will end up facing both of these clubs come the postseason (despite the losing streak, the Dodgers remain the favorite to win the World Series at +250, per Caesars). If you’re Los Angeles, you can only hope that — should such a scenario materialize — they’ll fare a whole lot better than they did this past week.