LOS ANGELES -- As Justin Wrobleski walked off the mound with two outs in the ninth inning, he received an ovation from the fans behind the home dugout at Dodger Stadium. The reaction felt more than a little out of place, given that the southpaw was on the hook for a season-high seven earned runs and the Dodgers were staring down a series loss to the Braves.
But perhaps the Dodgers' faithful realized that Wrobleski's final line, while bizarre and unsightly, was arguably not their team's biggest issue on Sunday afternoon.
Wrobleski may have put his team in an early hole, but he also saved a bullpen that had pitched 18 1/3 innings over the previous three games. The Dodgers' offense, on the other hand, recorded just two hits and stranded seven baserunners as they dropped their rubber game to the Braves, 7-2.
"As far as building innings, we just haven't been able to do that," manager Dave Roberts said. "Just kind of as a unit, I don't think that we're one piece right now. It's not from lack of effort. We've been in this funk for quite some time. Those guys, they pitched well, but still. That's kind of where we're at right now."
Just under a month ago, Wrobleski spoke about wanting to earn the opportunity to pitch the ninth inning. The 25-year-old left-hander had just completed a career-high eight scoreless innings on 90 pitches, but he didn't get the chance to go the distance.
On Sunday, Wrobleski got that chance, albeit in less desirable circumstances. He was an out away from a complete game, but was pulled after drilling Mike Yastrzemski with his 100th pitch. Newly selected reliever Wyatt Mills allowed Yastrzemski to score and finalized an odd line score for Wrobleski: seven earned runs allowed on seven hits and a walk, with seven strikeouts.
Wrobleski didn't help himself by misfiring a potential double-play ball in the second inning, in which he allowed four runs. He responded with a stretch of 16 straight batters retired, then gave up solo shots to Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson in the eighth and ninth innings. In the end, he became the first starting pitcher since the Twins' Carlos Silva in 2006 (8 2/3 innings, eight runs) to allow seven or more runs while pitching at least 8 2/3 innings. The last Dodger to do so was Rick Sutcliffe in 1979 (8 2/3 innings, eight runs).
"It’s great to get to the ninth. It’s great to have a chance," Wrobleski said. "And then, obviously, one gets away from you there, and I don’t end up getting to finish it, which sucks. But overall, it was OK. It’s frustrating to give up runs like that."
In many ways, the series finale against the Braves was emblematic of the Dodgers' season, roughly one quarter of the way through. The pitching performance was an outlier, but the poor offensive showing was nothing new.
After a convincing 3-1 victory on Friday night, the Dodgers didn't get on the board until the ninth inning on Saturday (Andy Pages two-run homer) and the eighth on Sunday (Max Muncy two-run homer). After the bats showed some signs of life earlier this week in Houston, they settled back into their slumber against a better -- and healthier -- Braves pitching staff.
Dating back to April 21, the Dodgers have been held to four runs or fewer in 13 of 18 games. They have lost 10 games in that span.
"We all know as a group that we're struggling, and that's just something that everyone's trying to take on their own shoulder, instead of just passing the baton, myself included," Muncy said. "Once we get back to everyone just having really good team at-bats, I think things will start clicking for guys, without even thinking about it. Just a rough stretch, and we've got to get through it."
Looking at the big picture, the Dodgers are still in a good spot with three-quarters of the regular season remaining. Their 24-16 record is tied with the Padres for the fifth best in the Majors. Even with their extended lapse at the plate, their +69 run differential ranks third behind the Braves (+87) and Yankees (+73).
For now, the Braves may have the best record in baseball. But the Dodgers aren't playing to dominate in May, and they firmly believe they will be the team to beat once more when the season has run its course.