Dodgers drop season series vs. D-backs. What does that mean for NL West race?

PHOENIX -- If there was any silver lining as the Dodgers departed Arizona with a series loss after falling 4-2 on Sunday, it may have been that they have no more games against the D-backs on their schedule.

Unless, of course, the two NL West teams meet in October.

The Dodgers were unable to start a winning streak after ending their season-high seven-game skid on Saturday night. In Sunday afternoon's series finale, another shaky performance from starter Justin Wrobleski (four runs, three earned, in 3 1/3 innings) put them in an early hole while D-backs pitching continued to confound L.A.'s offense.

"It never feels good to play down 4-0 after two innings. But that’s no excuse," manager Dave Roberts said. "You’ve still got to separate and still produce runs. But I think the main thing is trying to get together and trying to win consistently. It’s not about one part of the team. It’s just all of us being better and finding ways."

L.A. lost six of its last seven games -- and the season series -- against Arizona, which currently sits in second place in the NL West. The first-place Dodgers still hold a commanding 7 1/2 game lead, but a month ago, they led by a season-high 14 games.

Could the D-backs make a run for the division down the stretch?

There is limited precedent for a team blowing such a large lead and failing to win its division or league. Last year, the Tigers made unfortunate history by losing a 14-game lead in the AL Central. The 1951 Dodgers suffered the next-largest blown lead on record, once leading by 13 games but ultimately losing the NL pennant to the Giants with the infamous "Shot Heard 'Round the World."

It would be a historic collapse if the Dodgers don't hold on to win the NL West, and with 44 games remaining on the regular-season schedule, they don't believe their current play will become a lingering issue.

"There's no concern in here," Freddie Freeman said. "We're a good team."

But L.A. has been middling for longer than the past week and change.

In their past 42 games, the Dodgers have a .500 record and a -7 run differential in that span. Overall, their +138 run differential this season still ranks second only to the Brewers (+141) in the Majors.

"It's a long season. You're gonna have your ups and downs," Kyle Tucker said Saturday. "You just gotta kind of grind through and just get to the end and just keep battling."

This experience is not new for the Dodgers. Last season, they went from leading by a season-high nine games on July 3 to being briefly knocked out of first place twice by the Padres in August. They bounced back from that to win the NL West for the 12th time in 13 seasons -- and went on to successfully defend their World Series title -- but not without some pressure during the stretch run.

Pressure can be a good thing. One challenge that comes with being back-to-back reigning champions is complacency. Having some serious competition in the division -- if the D-backs continue to close the gap -- could help push the Dodgers out of the rut they have been in.

"When you're losing like we're losing, it's always a combination," Roberts said. "Some days it's the starters, some days it's the relievers, some days it's the offense. And when you can sync those up, you have a better chance to win. And when you don't, which we haven't in that span of time … you lose more than you win. And so, yeah, we're certainly not playing up to our capabilities."

That disjointedness was on display over the weekend in Phoenix. The Dodgers lost Friday's game because of the bullpen, and nearly suffered the same fate on Saturday. Poor starting pitching did them in on Sunday. The offense scuffled in all three games.

After picking up just one win on their six-game road trip through Chicago and Arizona, the Dodgers will return home for seven games against the Royals and Brewers. They're set up well with Tarik Skubal and Blake Snell scheduled to start the first two games of the homestand, but they know that it takes more than just the starters on the mound to turn things around as a collective.

"We certainly have to wash this one, go home, come out and play well," Roberts said. "I’m not making any excuses for not winning."