The Los Angeles Dodgers ended the first half of the 2026 season by blowing a three-run lead and being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It’s the first time the Diamondbacks have swept at Dodger Stadium since Sept. 2017. It comes as the Dodgers have now gone just 2-5 over their last seven games.
“It just hasn’t been clean baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday. “So when you give teams free bases, extra outs, it’s hard winning game, regardless of opponent… We’ve got to find a way to win a game tomorrow to feel somewhat better about going into the break.”
The Dodgers were outscored 23-8 in the series.
Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 3: key takeaways
Dodgers continue playing little league baseball
The Dodgers have been playing sloppy baseball during their recent rough patch, and they made at least one error for the fifth consecutive game. They have also made multiple errors in three of those games, and Sunday was another one of them.
On July 7, the Dodgers made two errors in a loss to the Colorado Rockies, then three in a loss to the Diamondbacks in the series opener on Friday night. In the finale, the Dodgers made two more errors, giving them six over their last three games and nine over their last two series.
Both of the errors in the finale led to runs, and a passed ball, which was not ruled an error, also contributed to a run scoring.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called out their poor play, but so far, it has yet to change. Both Roberts and the players have downplayed the idea that their recent play is related to the upcoming All-Star break, but it can’t be ruled out as players look ahead to their time off.
“I hope that’s not the case,” Roberts said on Saturday night. “It’s certainly an easy answer or thought, but these games all matter. They still matter, but I don’t know. I don’t know. I hope that’s not the case.”
Emmet Sheehan pitches into sixth inning
Emmet Sheehan has had a wildly inconsistent season, and that continued into his start on Sunday as he bounced back to turn in a solid outing. The right-hander started the game by striking out the side, beginning with a 14-pitch leadoff battle with Ketel Marte that ended with a punchout.
Sheehan had seven strikeouts through four scoreless innings, but in the fifth inning, he allowed a pair of doubles that put the Diamondbacks on the board, cutting the Dodgers’ lead to 3-1.
The error by Pages put two more runners in scoring position, and a sacrifice fly made it a 3-2 game. Another throwing error by Muncy tied up the game in the sixth after Sheehan allowed a leadoff walk before the runner advanced on a passed ball.
For the first time since June 1, Sheehan was able to record an out in the sixth inning, but the sloppy defense cost him what likely would have been a quality start. Instead, he finished his day pitching 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk.
Dodgers offense scores early
Shohei Ohtani started the game with a leadoff home run, and the Dodgers added on two more on a single from Tommy Edman in the third inning after Ohtani doubled and Andy Pages walked.
After that, they were shut down for the rest of the game by the Diamondbacks’ pitching and went 0-for-19 to finish the game. They went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base.
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