The Los Angeles Dodgers, once a symbol of dominance and consistency in Major League Baseball, are facing a troubling stretch that continued Sunday afternoon with a 9-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. It marked their fourth straight defeat at home, a streak that has magnified growing concerns about the team’s ability to contend through the summer. The loss dropped the Dodgers to 29-22 on the season, but the more alarming narrative is the recent slide in energy, execution, and effectiveness from a team with championship expectations.
What was once considered a fortress at Chavez Ravine has recently become a stage for frustration and disappointment. In front of another packed crowd hoping for the Dodgers to shake off their May slump, Arizona took full advantage of L.A.’s sloppy defense, inconsistent pitching, and baffling lack of urgency. The Diamondbacks, a scrappy team that stunned many by reaching the World Series last season, looked like the more complete and inspired squad. They took the lead early and never gave it back, forcing the Dodgers to once again play from behind—a position they have found themselves in all too often lately.
Sunday’s game was a microcosm of the issues plaguing Dave Roberts’ club. Starting pitcher James Paxton was hit hard, lasting just 3.2 innings while surrendering six earned runs. The Diamondbacks jumped on him early, forcing him into long at-bats and taking advantage of his lack of command. While Paxton entered the game with a 5-0 record and had generally been reliable, he didn’t have it on this day, and Arizona made sure to capitalize. Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and Christian Walker led the charge for the Diamondbacks, combining for six RBIs and multiple extra-base hits that sent a clear message—the Dodgers’ arms are vulnerable.
Defensively, the Dodgers were sloppy. A pair of miscommunications and a costly throwing error by Miguel Rojas in the fifth inning extended Arizona’s lead and killed any momentum Los Angeles was trying to build. It’s the kind of play that has become too common for the Dodgers during this skid. While they’ve been among the league’s better defensive teams on paper, the actual performance has been lacking in crispness and attention to detail. These mental lapses have not only extended innings but also deflated the team’s energy and morale.
The offense, which was expected to be among the most lethal in the game after the high-profile acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández, once again failed to produce in key moments. They scored five runs, but most of the damage came when the game was already slipping away. Ohtani and Freddie Freeman both had RBI singles, and Will Smith added a two-run double, but the timing of these hits didn’t apply real pressure. Once again, the Dodgers were unable to generate sustained rallies or capitalize on their scoring chances when it mattered most. The team went just 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the frustration following the loss, telling reporters that the team is in a “bit of a funk” and needs to rediscover its identity. “We’re not playing clean baseball right now,” Roberts said. “It’s on all of us—coaches, players, staff—to be better. The season is long, but that doesn’t give us a pass to keep playing like this at home.”
The timing of this downturn is particularly concerning given the context of the Dodgers’ schedule. With a road trip looming and a series against the surging Cincinnati Reds on deck, the pressure is mounting. The National League West is no longer a cakewalk, with Arizona, San Diego, and San Francisco all showing signs of improvement. The Dodgers still lead the division, but the gap is shrinking, and their current trend is far from sustainable.
One of the most troubling aspects of this stretch has been the performance of the bullpen, which has failed to stop the bleeding on several occasions. On Sunday, the relievers allowed three runs over 5.1 innings, and although not all of it was disastrous, the lack of shutdown innings continues to haunt the club. Evan Phillips and Ryan Brasier have been solid, but beyond that, inconsistency rules. Caleb Ferguson and Alex Vesia have struggled with command, and the constant shifting of roles has created instability. Injuries have also played a major part, with several key arms on the injured list, including Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and Brusdar Graterol.
Of course, the most-watched name on the team continues to be Shohei Ohtani. The two-way star, who signed a historic $700 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason, has been a bright spot offensively but is currently limited to hitting as he recovers from elbow surgery. While his bat has mostly delivered, there is only so much one player can do when the team around him is sputtering. Ohtani went 1-for-4 in Sunday’s game, drawing a walk and driving in a run, but he also struck out twice and seemed visibly frustrated after popping out with two men on in the seventh inning.
Freddie Freeman, a veteran leader and consistent presence in the lineup, voiced confidence that the team will find its footing. “We’ve got a lot of good players, a lot of veterans who’ve been through this before,” Freeman said. “But that doesn’t mean we’re immune to slumps. It’s about how we respond, and right now, we’re searching for that spark.”
Mookie Betts, another cornerstone of the Dodgers’ foundation, has seen his batting average dip in recent weeks. While he continues to play Gold Glove-level defense and offer leadership in the clubhouse, his bat has gone cold at a time when the team desperately needs him to carry more of the offensive burden. Betts finished the game 0-for-5, with two strikeouts and three runners left on base.
The absence of clutch hitting has been a theme throughout this four-game skid. In each of the losses, the Dodgers had multiple opportunities to shift the momentum but failed to deliver the key blow. Whether it’s swinging at pitches out of the zone or failing to move runners over, the lack of situational awareness has crippled their run production. Fans, who entered the season with World Series aspirations, have begun to voice their discontent more vocally. Boos rang out after Rojas’ error and again after Betts struck out to end the seventh.
