The Los Angeles Dodgers had a poor offensive showing on Tuesday night, scoring just one run against the Miami Marlins, resulting in a 2-1 loss.
The Dodgers had multiple chances to score, which would have either tied the game or given them the lead, but they failed to capitalize. That has been a recent trend for the offense, leaving Dodgers manager Dave Roberts somewhat frustrated.
“I think if you’re not going to put up crooked numbers and clicking on all cylinders, you’ve got to be good situationally,” Roberts said. “We were not good at all tonight situationally. And so that’s what it comes down to.
“You have a chance to catch a lead early in the first inning and stress him, and you let him off the hook. And then you have a chance in the eighth inning, and you do the same thing. And then in between all that, there’s nothing going on.
“So when you do get opportunities, you’ve got to be good situationally. That’s just the bottom line.”
The Dodgers went 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. In the first inning, the Dodgers loaded the bases with just one out, and they failed to score after Max Muncy popped out and Teoscar Hernández grounded into a force out.
In the eighth inning, two singles set the Dodgers up to tie the game. Will Smith came through with another hit to cut the Marlins’ lead in half and put the tying run at third base.
But with runners at the corners and just one out, Kyle Tucker popped out on the first pitch he saw, and then Muncy grounded out on the second pitch of his at-bat.
“Yeah, too aggressive,” Roberts said. “You’re not hitting your pitch. In both situations, when we had chances, the infield is in, it’s a ball to the outfield.
“I mean, hitting is hard, certainly, but we have to have a better plan. You have to have a plan with guys in scoring position, you do.”
Overall, this season, the Dodgers have been the fifth-best offense in MLB with runners in scoring position, batting .277/.359/.465 with a 1121 wRC+, but much of that production came early in the season as they have fallen off a bit recently.
It’s fair to expect the team to be better in these spots, but much of it depends on the top and middle parts of their lineup. Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández have all been performing below expectations, but the Dodgers will continue to bet on them to turn it around.
Dodgers being patient with Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani’s overall numbers are considerably down from his first two seasons with the Dodgers, which has raised concerns about his workload as a two-way player. While the team has experimented with different ways to help the 31-year-old balance hitting and pitching more easily, Roberts realizes he may have to sacrifice some of his offense to be dominant on the mound.
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