Dodgers Quick Hits: Offense Struggling at the Wrong Time

The Dodgers dropped a tough game last night as they attempted to rally in the ninth but ultimately fell 4-2. Kyle Freeland dominated the Dodgers lineup with ease.

The Dodgers offense continued to frustrate last night as Kyle Freeland mowed through the Dodger lineup with ease.  Freeland pitched six innings allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight Dodger hitters.  The Dodgers never seemed to put Freeland in any danger all game long and it wasn’t until he was removed that the Dodgers’ offense showed signs of life.

Not that any of that should be surprising.  The Dodgers have scored less than three runs in eight of their last ten games.  For a lineup with big names like Manny Machado, Justin Turner, and Brian Dozier, that is unacceptable.  Walker Buehler didn’t pitch his best game but asking the offense to score at least four runs at Coors Field is not asking for a lot.

In September the Dodgers have hit just .219 as a team which ranks them 25th in baseball just behind the San Diego Padres.  The Dodgers also rank 19th in runs scored for this month and are middle of the pack in slugging percentage at 17th.

The Dodgers lineup has been as healthy as they’ve been all season this month so the results are very concerning.  The offense is putting the Dodgers at risk of missing the playoffs altogether. The Dodgers will try to take the series later on today and get back to within a half-game of first place.

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• While the ultimate goal is to win the division, the Dodgers are still just one game back of the St. Louis Cardinals for the last wild-card spot.  With a big four-game series in St. Louis later this week, the Dodgers have a chance to set themselves up for a wildcard spot if they fail in their hunt for a sixth straight NL West title.
• The Tulsa Drillers won 5-3 last night to even up their best of five series with the Arkansas Travelers.  Andrew Sopko pitched six shutout innings for the Drillers and Drew Jackson drove in two runs while recording a double and a triple.  Gavin Lux also recorded two doubles and now has an OPS over 1.000 in Double-A this season.
• The Dodger bullpen once again did their part last night pitching two shutout innings while allowing just one hit. Pat Venditte, Zac Rosscup, and Josh Fields combined to cover the two scoreless innings.  The bullpen is the reason the Dodgers had a chance to tie in the ninth inning.

• The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes defeated the Lancaster JetHawks 8-1 to advance to the Championship series.  Max Gamboa started and pitched four-plus innings allowing one run.  Carlos Rincon hit a three-run homer and Cody Thomas went 4-5.  After losing the opener the Quakes won three straight games.