Dodgers lose 4th straight, 5-3 to the Twins on July 21. Ohtani struggles and Buxton homers as LA's pitching concerns grow. Can they stop the skid?
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Another night at Chavez Ravine, another frustrating result. The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their fourth consecutive game on Monday, falling 5-3 to the Minnesota Twins in a contest that felt all too familiar. Despite holding a comfortable lead in the NL West, a palpable sense of unease is settling in as the team's pitching vulnerabilities become increasingly exposed.
Four straight losses. For a team with championship aspirations, this mid-summer slump is starting to feel less like a blip and more like a warning sign.
Even with Shohei Ohtani on the mound, the Dodgers couldn't halt their slide. Ohtani battled for six innings, striking out eight, but was tagged for four runs (three earned) thanks to a two-run blast by Byron Buxton and a timely RBI double from Carlos Correa. The Dodger bats were mostly quiet, save for a solo home run from Will Smith and a two-hit effort from Freddie Freeman. An insurance run allowed by the bullpen in the eighth sealed the 5-3 defeat, leaving the Dodgers at 58-43 and searching for answers.
The team's struggles on the mound aren't happening in a vacuum. Monday's injury report served as a stark reminder of what the Dodgers are missing. With Evan Phillips officially done for the season after Tommy John surgery, the bullpen's anchor is gone. Hopes for a late-season boost from Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) and Kyle Hurt (Tommy John) remain just that—hopes for the future. Graterol is targeting an August rehab assignment, but the cavalry isn't riding to the rescue just yet, putting immense pressure on the current, struggling staff.
While the on-field product sputters, it's been all quiet on the transaction front. No trades, no call-ups, no roster shuffles. As the pitching staff's cracks widen and the losses pile up, the silence from the front office is growing louder. With the trade deadline fast approaching, fans are anxiously waiting to see if and when Andrew Friedman will make a move to acquire the pitching depth this team so clearly needs for a legitimate World Series push.
Despite the team-wide slump, a few stars continue to shine brightly. Shohei Ohtani, even on a night he didn't have his best stuff on the mound, still leads the club with a staggering 34 home runs and 65 RBIs. Meanwhile, Will Smith continues to be one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, leading the team with a .323 batting average after his solo shot on Monday. These offensive pillars are keeping the team afloat, but they can't do it alone.
The Dodgers are still a first-place team, but this four-game skid is a harsh reality check. The offense has firepower, but championships are won on the mound. With the trade deadline looming, the pressure is squarely on the front office to find the pitching reinforcements needed to turn this mid-season slump into a distant memory. The next week will be telling, not just for the standings, but for the shape of the team heading into October.
