Injury-Riddled Dodgers Drop Fourth Straight Game

(By: Christian Monreal )

The month of May has been rough for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have started with an 8–9 record and are now in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Mounting injuries to both the starting rotation and bullpen have raised serious concerns about the team’s pitching depth, casting doubt on the flexibility of one of baseball’s most talented rosters.

After being swept at home by the Angels for the first time since 2010, the Dodgers hoped to reverse course as they opened a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. With their rotation depleted, they opted for a bullpen game, relying on Jack Dreyer and Landon Knack to cover most of the innings.

The night started poorly for the Dodgers. A leadoff hit and walk quickly set the stage, followed by a misplay in center field by Hyeseong Kim that turned into a two-run double, giving Arizona an early 2–0 lead. Things continued to unravel as Knack gave up four runs on six hits, including two home runs, allowing the Diamondbacks to jump out to a commanding 7–0 lead.

“They took advantage of a couple of mistakes and didn’t miss,” said Knack after the game. “Very frustrating early on to put us in that situation.”

The Dodgers finally got on the board with a solo home run from Mookie Betts. Two innings later, back-to-back homers from Shohei Ohtani and Betts brought the score to 7–3. Despite a late push with two runs in the ninth, the comeback fell short, resulting in a 9–5 loss.

While the pitching woes continue, there were bright spots in the offense. The Dodgers applied steady pressure in the middle innings and showed signs of life at the plate.

“I’m certainly encouraged… fighting back the way we did with the at-bats,” said manager Dave Roberts. “It does show something with our offense that we continue to fight.”

Despite the recent slump, the Dodgers still hold first place in the NL West. They'll look to get back on track as the series against the Diamondbacks continues.