Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
August was a rough month for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they played under .500 baseball and could not get their offense to consistently produce runs.
They went just 13-14 in 27 games, and since the start of July, they’ve gone just 26-25.
Their extended issues have led to questions and criticisms about their age, physical and mental fatigue, and focus. Even the ever-even-keel Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, has been among those frustrated with the lack of quality at-bats from his ballclub.
The Dodgers have the oldest position player group in MLB, so are they just on the downtrend of their careers and this is the new normal, or is it just an extended slump they’ve had difficulties breaking out of?
“I think it’s fair for people to say that,” Kiké Hernández said. “But if you really follow Dodger baseball the last three years, it’s almost like it’s a trend for the team to struggle around this time of the year.
“I mean, were they saying in ’24 that we were tired because we got swept the year before? I don’t think so. They might’ve been saying Korea, and then last year maybe Japan, but we won the World Series. Yeah, we’re an older group, but I just think it’s part of a season when you struggle. It just happens for us that we’re struggling in August and didn’t struggle in April. A lot of teams struggle in April and May.
“For us, it’s weird timing that it always tends to happen around late July, early August. But we’re a group that has been together for so long and kind of seen it all, that in a sense, we’re more than battle-tested. A little grind, a little tough stretch is not going to make us doubt or panic in any sense.
“I think for us, it’s just a matter of figuring it out and tuning up certain things. I think the series we just had in Colorado was a pretty positive one.”
During the 2025 season, the Dodgers went 10-14 in July before picking things up again in August. In 2024, they were 11-13 in July before posting a 19-8 month in August. They of course won the World Series both years despite their late-season slump.
“I think it’s because of experience,” Miguel Rojas said. “We’ve been in that situation before, we’ve been against the wall, we’ve been on top. I feel like every time you have the chance to experience things like that, you’re never going to be new to the occasion and situation.
“We’re looking forward to playing good baseball in September. I think momentum is something that is really important in baseball, and creating that momentum right now is so important for us to start playing our brand of baseball, which is not beating ourselves. I think a lot of people are getting healthy at the right time for us to be at full force in September or October.”
While both Rojas and Hernández make fair points, the greater concern is how long this trend has gone on. In previous years, their extended stretches of poor play were limited to a few weeks. This year, it’s approaching more than two months.
Since the start of July, only seven teams have scored fewer runs than the Dodgers. L.A. ranks below league-average in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, with no signs of things turning around.
The home run has been a staple of the Dodgers’ offense over the past decade, and they rank just 25th in the league during this stretch. Without home runs and extra-base hits, the offense is anemic, and that’s the main reason for their issues.
One other concerning trend is that in previous years, the Dodgers would have their bad stretch, and then Roberts and some of the clubhouse leaders would call on the team to flip the switch, increase their focus and intensity, and lock in. That resulted in a turnaround, and the Dodgers would get back on track.
This year, they have tried to do that multiple times, and the results were even worse. The offense dipped slightly in production from July to August, moving them from very bad to even worse.
None of this is to say the Dodgers can’t go on to win the World Series and should give up on the season, but they do have questions to answer, and if they can’t answer them, then the team needs to consider significant changes in the offseason.
Last year, the Dodgers won the World Series on the strength of their pitching, even as the offense was less than good in the postseason. The Dodgers have an even stronger staff this year, but they will need their offense to produce around average results if they want to have a chance at a three-peat.
Dodgers struggle against playoff teams
Due to their offensive struggles, the Dodgers have posted a losing record this season against potential postseason opponents. When facing teams above .500, the Dodgers are just 33-36, the worst mark among all the top-four playoff teams in each league, except for the Chicago White Sox.
In previous years, the Dodgers have done well against the league’s best teams. At the moment, Roberts didn’t express much concern over those struggles this year and thinks they just need to get back to playing good baseball again.
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