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 put them in an early hole while D-backs pitching continued to confound L.A.'s offense.
L.A. lost six of its last seven games -- and the season series -- against Arizona, who 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?
The Dodgers were in a similar situation last year, when the Padres briefly knocked them out of first place in the division twice in August 2025. 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.