The Dodgers entered this week looking strong for the postseason.
They had won 14 out of their last 17 games, secured the National League West division title, and positioned themselves for a top-two seed in the NL playoffs. Their roster, which had experienced ups and downs earlier in the season, seemed to have finally come together, with a once-struggling offense, a shaky bullpen, and a star-packed rotation all performing well simultaneously.
But there was a catch to all this success.
The team had faced an unusually easy late-season schedule, with no matchups against competing teams for nearly a month.
This week’s series against the San Diego Padres was considered a crucial test ahead of October, or maybe even a preview of a potential playoff matchup.
However, the Dodgers suffered a 4-2 loss in the rubber match on Thursday night at Chavez Ravine, a setback that raised alarms as their final warm-up before the playoffs.
Still, the Dodgers downplayed the importance of this week’s results. They had a decisive 7-0 win with a bullpen game Tuesday night and believed that Wednesday’s 5-1 defeat didn’t reflect the competitiveness of the game. In the grand scheme, they were not too worried about the loss on Thursday, especially since they had already secured a first-round playoff bye thanks to the Atlanta Braves losing to the Cincinnati Reds.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that the Padres had clinched their own playoff berth by winning the last two games.
Nonetheless, losing this series contributed to a growing concern for the two-time defending champions.
Throughout the season, the Dodgers have been just 25-28 against teams currently above .500 that are also playoff-bound this year. Excluding teams like the underperforming Astros and Rangers, who are tied atop the AL West, it’s especially troubling to note that they’ve gone 2-14 against playoff contenders over the past two months.
This streak included being swept by the Red Sox, Cubs, and Braves, as well as managing only one win in a discouraging four-game series against the Brewers.
Yet, none of these outcomes felt as worrisome as this latest series.
After an impressive four-run rally in the second inning on Tuesday, the Dodgers’ lineup—previously surging—only managed six runs over the next 25 innings. This occurred despite the return of Shohei Ohtani from the injured list on Wednesday, who had a multi-hit game with a consolation RBI double in the ninth inning on Thursday.
While they created plenty of scoring opportunities and prevented any of San Diego’s starters from pitching five full innings, their inefficiency with runners in scoring position was glaring, finishing 4-for-25.
The performances of their starting pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, while not dominant, were decent enough. Yamamoto went six innings with two earned runs (and two unearned), and Glasnow pitched 6.1 innings allowing three earned runs, with the last crossing the plate after he exited.
Even their bullpen, which generally performed well, faced challenges when they allowed a three-run rally in the seventh inning on Thursday, compounded by a few defensive slips from the Dodgers.
As a result, the Dodgers’ once-dominant offense slipped back into its lackluster summer form.
Now, after a period of promising performance, the Dodgers find themselves facing renewed scrutiny regarding their struggles against other playoff-bound teams.
If this doesn’t improve soon, it may hint at a surprisingly brief postseason run.
