Dodgers still searching for answers to woes

ANAHEIM -- After playing 14 games in as many days, the Dodgers were hoping Thursday’s off-day would give the team a chance to regroup from one of the most challenging stretches of the season.

Unfortunately for the Dodgers, things got even worse in the 9-2 loss to the Angels on Friday at Angel Stadium. With the loss, the Dodgers have now lost 14 of their last 18 games and seven or their last eight. They’re just one game over .500. It’s the most games into a season that they’ve been just one game over .500 since June 2018.

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A lot of the recent problems for the Dodgers have been due to lack of offense. But even when they are able to muster enough runs, something else seems to go wrong, whether it’s a blown save, a baserunning mistake, or an error on defense. Sometimes, it’s a combination of a few different things.

There weren’t many positives for the Dodgers in one of their most lopsided losses of the season.

“Our preparation and eagerness to play a game tonight was there,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “But we just got outslugged tonight.”

Julio Urías and the rest of the Dodgers’ pitching staff had a rare off night on the mound. Urías came into the start allowing a combined four runs in his last three outings. The Angels tagged him for five runs on eight hits over five innings. It was the most earned runs Urías allowed in a game this season.

It didn’t stop there, however. Joe Kelly made his season debut and didn’t fare much better. The right-hander was only able to retire two hitters and allowed four runs on five hits, pushing the Angels’ lead to 9-1 in the sixth. The nine runs given up by Dodger pitching was the most allowed this season.

“Julio didn’t have his best stuff,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith. “He competed and kept us in the game for a while. He had that one bad inning, but he competed.”

With the pitching staff struggling, it became nearly impossible for the Dodgers to come away with a win given the fact that they’re also slumping in the other facets of the game. Their defense has not been as good as they want it to be. They’re not hitting with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-11 on Friday and 3-for-36 during the current four-game skid. They’re also having rare lapses on the bases, including Corey Seager getting picked off at second base to end the first inning.

“I think it’s under the category of we just need to be better,” Roberts said. “I still know our players are very good and talented, but it’s about going up there and making productive outs, getting hits when you need to get them. We just need to get better. I wouldn’t say [we’re] concerned, I just think it’s something that we know we need to get better at.”

And to make matters worse, the team is now holding its breath that AJ Pollock, who left the game in the sixth with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, will be able to fend off a stint on the injured list. Pollock is one of the few Dodgers hitters that has made consistent hard contact over the last week and is considered day to day. L.A.’s depth is already thin, and that was on display as the team was forced to give up the designated hitter and send reliever Edwin Uceta to the plate in the eighth. The Dodgers can ill afford another loss there.

If there was one positive for the Dodgers, it’s that Mookie Betts hit his second homer in a week. Betts hasn’t been able to string together many good games, but the Dodgers sure hope Friday could springboard him. Roberts has often said that the Dodgers go as Betts goes. Right now, nothing is going the Dodgers’ way, but they’ll look to bounce back on Saturday against the Angels with Clayton Kershaw on the mound.

“Eventually, we’re too good of hitters to do this for a whole year,” Smith said. “We’ll get the offense rolling. No doubt about that.”