Dave Roberts isn't hitting the panic button just yet, even as the Los Angeles Dodgers' bats have gone cold. Following a tough loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, the Dodgers manager addressed the team's recent offensive struggles with a mix of honesty and optimism.
The numbers tell a clear story: LA managed just three runs over their last two games against Miami, and needed a dramatic ninth-inning rally just to steal a win in the series opener. But Roberts sees this skid as part of a longer trend, one that started well before they landed in South Beach.
"I don't think we're collectively swinging the bats the way we were early," Roberts said. "Sort of started in Colorado, I think. It's one of those things where hitting is definitely cyclical. In total, we were at the top, near the top. The last 10 days, it just hasn't been synced up. We just haven't got those hits when we needed them."
The Dodgers opened their series against the Rockies on April 17 with a promising 7-1 win, but the offense vanished shortly after. They dropped the next two games in Colorado, then managed just four runs total across a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants. That offensive drought has carried over into Miami, leaving fans wondering when the lineup will rediscover its early-season form.
Roberts remains confident, pointing to the talent in the clubhouse and the marathon nature of a 162-game season. "It's a long season, as we all know," he said. "You'd like everyone to get off to a good start, but a lot of guys are not performing to the back of their baseball cards. So you just hope that the work and the consistency of work will show benefits and it will balance out at some point."
The stats back up his concerns. Over the last four series, four of the six Dodgers who qualify for the batting title are performing below league average in weighted runs created plus (wRC+). Teoscar Hernández has been the hardest hit, posting a dismal 19 wRC+ with an OPS below .400 during that stretch. Rookie Andy Pages has also cooled off dramatically after a hot start, managing just a 42 wRC+ in the same sample.
Even perennial All-Star Freddie Freeman is feeling the pressure. After Wednesday's loss, the veteran first baseman didn't mince words about his own performance. "I had pitches to hit, I just didn't hit 'em," Freeman admitted. "I can't speak for everybody else. I mean, I had strikes. I swung at the strikes. I didn't hit the strikes."
Kyle Tucker rounds out the group of struggling hitters, sitting just below league average. Only two qualified Dodgers have managed to produce consistently during this rough patch, highlighting just how widespread the offensive slump has become.
For Dodgers fans, the hope is that this is simply a rough stretch in a long season—and that the bats will heat up again soon, just as Roberts predicts.