The Los Angeles Dodgers were shut out for the fourth time this season as they lost 5-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals in their series opener at Busch Stadium.
Cardinals starter Sonny Gray tossed a gem with 6.1 scoreless innings before the bullpen shut the Dodgers down the rest of the way. The Dodgers did, however, have their chances to score as they managed 10 hits on the night.
Despite their high hit total, the Dodgers went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. The only hit with a runner in scoring position was an infield single from Andy Pages that put men at the corners.
It was a frustrating loss given the many opportunities the Dodgers had, but Mookie Betts noted those games will sometimes happen and it’s just part of playing baseball, per Kevin Baxter of the L.A. Times:
“I wish every time somebody got on base, we could get a hit and score,” said Mookie Betts, who had three of the Dodgers’ 10 hits. “I really wish every time runners are in scoring position, we could get those timely hits. But that’s not how the game works.
“The game is going to go through its ebbs and flows. You have to just kind of ride the wave. You can’t jump off.”
The Dodgers’ best opportunities to score came in the third and eighth innings. Shohei Ohtani and Betts singled to start off the third, but Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernández struck out before Max Muncy flied out.
In the eighth, the Dodgers had a leadoff single from Betts and double from Freeman to put two in scoring position with no outs. Hernández and Muncy struck out before Pages grounded out softly.
The Dodgers also put two on with one out in the second inning with singles from Pages and Michael Conforto, but Tommy Edman lined out and Dalton Rushing flied out. That was made even more unfortunate by Rushing just missing a home run as his ball was caught at the warning track.
Dodgers with runners in scoring position in 2025
Even with the rough game, the Dodgers have still been the best team at hitting with runners in scoring position by a considerable margin.
As a team, they’re hitting .308/.385/.556 with a 155 wRC+ with an opportunity to drive in a run. All four of those stats lead MLB with the Chicago Cubs second in all of them at .297/.372/.501 with a 142 wRC+.
The Dodgers’ success with runners in scoring position this season highlights Betts’ point about the ebbs and flows of a year. Sometimes, things just don’t go your way over the course of a 162-game season, and that was certainly the case on Friday.
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