LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers swept the New York Mets four weeks ago, their second sweep in four series at Dodger Stadium at that point, running their record to 14-4. It feels like a lifetime ago now.
The Dodgers also won their next game, the series opener at Coors Field for a 15-4 record. They did not win that series. They’ve lost the first two games of this four-game series against the San Francisco Giants, which means they won’t win this series either. The Dodgers have only won two of their last eight series, going just 9-14 since that hot start, including six losses in their last seven home games.
After leaving a four-game series at Coors Field on April 20, the Dodgers have scored only 3.75 runs per game, hitting just .235/.322/.364 with a 96 wRC+, ranking 24th in MLB in slugging percentage during that time and tied for 20th with 18 home runs in 20 games, after hitting 42 home runs in their first 22 games.
“When you’re not really slugging, or you’re not throwing out double-digit hits a night, then the opportunities are few and far between. Our margins on the offensive side are more finite,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. “You get a guy to second base to lead off an inning, you’ve got to get them to third, and then you try to get that point across. We’re just not doing that, on top of not slugging and not creating a bunch of traffic and stress.”
Two losses this week against the Giants have been different, at least offensively. On Monday night the Dodgers had 10 hits and plenty of chances, with just two hits in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position. On Tuesday, they totaled only four hits against Adrian Houser and company, and did not collect a hit in their all of three at-bats with runners in scoring position. All three of those at-bats were with the bases loaded, in the first and eighth innings, plus a sacrifice fly that brought home the Dodgers’ first run.
“It’s on us to get those runs in when we can, because it’s not easy with the pitching you’re facing in this league,” right fielder Kyle Tucker said. “Whenever you have opportunities in this league, you have to capitalize on it.”
The Dodgers with the bases loaded this season have eight hits, including a home run and double in 39 at-bats with the bases loaded, plus two walks and five sacrifice flies, hitting .205/.217/.308 with a 39 wRC+ that ranks 28th out of 30 teams.
In the Dodgers’ last 13 games, they’ve scored three or fewer runs 10 times, going 4-9 with a pair of four-game losing streaks. With runners in scoring position over those last two weeks, they are hitting .242/.345/.326 with a 92 wRC+ that ranks 20th in the majors, and they are also tied for 20th in total plate appearances in those situations, at just 8.77 per game.
“When you don’t get a whole lot of opportunities, and you don’t cash in on the couple that you do get, you don’t score a lot of runs,” Roberts said.