Miguel Rojas delivered the harsh commentary Dodgers needed after Pirates sweep

Although the Dodgers showed some signs of life in August after coming off of a terrible July, everyone can tell that something is off in LA right now. On Thursday, the Dodgers lost 5-3 to the Pirates and were swept, marking their third lost series out of their last four. Multiple players have come back from the IL but aren't really helping, pitching is questionable all around, and bats aren't waking up when they need to.

No one really knows what's going on. Mookie Betts and Dave Roberts have both basically thrown their arms up and shrugged before defaulting to the usual rhetoric: "We've just got to be better."

Miguel Rojas took a bit more of a direct approach after the Dodgers' loss on Thursday, when the mood in the visiting clubhouse at PNC Park was reportedly (and understandably) dour.

"I feel like ever since we started playing poorly a couple months ago, the pressure and frustration has been building up on the team," he said. "It's frustrating. It's embarrassing. But we have to be able to turn the page and come tomorrow with a better attitude. ... We have to find a way to enjoy the game a little bit more."

Miguel Rojas didn't mince words for Dodgers after "embarrassing" sweep by Pirates

Rojas contributed to the Dodgers' ninth-inning surge on Thursday, when he brought in LA's third and final run of the frame as they attempted to stage a comeback. Ultimately, that valiant effortfailed thanks to a questionable decision on the part of Roberts and a three-pitch swinging strikeout for backup catcher Ben Rortvedt.

At least everyone is willing to own up to the recent failures and no one is sugarcoating anything. Blake Snell, who pitched a solid first four outings on Thursday and then gave up four runs in the fifth, said, "We're just not playing good baseball, that's really it. We've got to figure that out. That's on us to do that. We've got to get it going. It's crunch time right now. Can't really have excuses."

The Dodgers are just lucky that the Padres are in even worse shape right now (they've lost eight of their last 10); otherwise, LA would've ceded their slim lead in the NL West sometime last week. A postseason appearance is still basically a guarantee even if the Padres win the division title, but the Dodgers aren't inspiring any confidence that they'll actually be able to compete with the likes of the Phillies and Brewers.