The Los Angeles Dodgers’ playoff push hit another roadblock Saturday night. They dropped their second straight game to the San Diego Padres, falling 5–1 in a matchup that really exposed some glaring issues with their offense.
Manager Dave Roberts tried to downplay concerns about effort. Still, the Dodgers’ inability to adapt at the plate is starting to look like a real problem—especially with just 31 games left in the regular season.
Rookie Alex Freeland’s bat was the lone bright spot. The rest of the lineup looked overmatched while San Diego’s pitching staff stuck to a sharp game plan that LA just never figured out.
Dodgers’ Offensive Woes Continue in San Diego
Over these two games at Petco Park, the Dodgers’ bats went ice-cold. They produced just two runs—both from rookie Alex Freeland on solo home runs.
That’s only five total hits in 18 innings, which is honestly shocking for a team known for its firepower.
Padres starter Nestor Cortes was at the center of LA’s misery on Saturday. He mixed cutters and changeups away, holding hitters to just one hit through six innings.
The only Dodger to reach him was veteran infielder Miguel Rojas with a single. Even after seeing the same patterns, Dodger batters kept swinging for the fences instead of just trying to make contact and get on base.
Glasnow’s Fourth-Inning Struggles Prove Costly
While the Dodgers’ offense stalled, starter Tyler Glasnow had his own rough patch. In the fourth inning, his command slipped, and the Padres jumped on it for a three-run frame.
That gave San Diego control and put even more pressure on an LA offense that just wasn’t coming through.
San Diego added two more runs in the eighth with Xander Bogaerts’ clutch double. The Dodgers’ only answer was Freeland’s pinch-hit homer, and by then, it was too little, too late.
Manager Roberts Calls for a Shift in Mindset
Manager Dave Roberts didn’t want to question his team’s effort. But he called out their lack of execution and asked for more team-oriented at-bats.
He urged players to shorten their swings, aim for line drives, and just “move the line forward” instead of waiting for a big home run to fix everything.
Slumps From Stars Are Adding to the Problem
The struggles of key hitters are making things worse. Will Smith and Teoscar Hernández have both gone cold at the worst time.
With pitching depth already stretched thin, not scoring runs just adds more pressure on everyone.
31 Games Left to Recalibrate
October’s coming fast, and for the Dodgers, there’s not much time left to get things right. With just 31 games to go, every at-bat matters in the race for the NL West—or maybe a dangerous wild-card spot if things don’t turn around.
- Offense needs to focus on contact hitting rather than power swings.
- Addressing the struggles of key hitters will be crucial for momentum.
- Consistency at the plate must become a priority before the postseason.
Looking Ahead
If the Dodgers want to turn things around, they’ll need more than just patience. They can’t just hope their struggling stars figure it out on their own.
They’ve got to tweak their approach at the plate and look for ways to improve situational hitting. Taking advantage of scoring chances might be the real difference between heading into October feeling confident or dragging in with a bunch of question marks.
Saturday’s loss was just one game in a marathon season. Still, it really felt like a warning shot—playoff baseball punishes teams that don’t adjust.
Fans are hoping this is the jolt the Dodgers need to find that relentless, electric offense they’ve shown before. The talent? It’s there. But the execution isn’t, and honestly, they can’t let that problem hang around much longer.
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Here is the source article for this story: Dodgers lose to Padres in two-hit flop and fall out of first place in the NL West
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