Sports
Dodgers offense continues to struggle in loss to Cubs
It’s too early, the Dodgers say, to sound any alarm bells. Their lineup is too talented, they believe, for the narrative not to eventually turn.
But right now, the team’s biggest problem is not difficult to diagnose.
Their $400-million roster is not hitting, plain and simple.
And in a 4-2 defeat to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, it cost them a third straight series loss in the wake of their roaring 8-0 start to the season.
“I’m not overly concerned right now, given where we’re at on the calendar,” manager Dave Roberts said, reflecting the frustrated — but not panicked — mood of his team.
“I think we just haven’t gotten synced up offensively,” he added. “It’s gonna happen. It’s just in this last nine-, 10-game stretch, it just hasn’t.”
During the Dodgers’ unbeaten barrage to begin this year’s World Series title defense, their star-studded lineup was performing as expected — even if the team felt then it wasn’t quite clicking on all cylinders.
Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts set the tone at the top. Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman and Will Smith cashed in with runners on base. And despite struggles from the bottom of the batting order,, the Dodgers were still averaging more than 5 ½ runs per game, hardly seeming to notice Freddie Freeman’s early absence.
Over the last nine games, however, the offense has come to a screeching halt; averaging barely three runs per contest during their current 3-6 rut.
Ohtani and Betts have been solid, but far from superhuman. Everyone else is trudging along, if not toiling through a flat-out slump.
“I just feel like we have more guys scuffling than guys that are feeling really good at the plate,” said Kiké Hernández, one of five regulars in the Dodgers’ lineup batting .225 or worse.
“It’s a matter of time. We’re going to snap out of it and we’re just going to start steamrolling people. We’re just going through a little bit of a rough patch.”
In Roberts’ view, the root of such scuffles has been a lack of quality “team at-bats,” with the manager bemoaning his hitters’ tendency to chase pitches out of the zone and make life easy on opposing pitchers.
“Our DNA as an offense, we do a really good job of beating the starter and getting the pitch count up and getting to the ‘pen,” Roberts said. “It’s not like guys are not trying to hit the ball hard. But I do think that if you look at the last 10 days, there hasn’t been a lot of loud contact. Just kind of building innings, creating stress, we just haven’t done that.”
That sobering reality became all the more apparent Sunday, when the Dodgers (11-6) did little against Cubs starting pitcher Colin Rea; a swingman from the bullpen with a career 4.52 ERA.
Rea gave the Dodgers plenty of good pitches to hit early in the “Sunday Night Baseball” showdown. Roughly a dozen times, Rea offered up mid-90s mph fastball near the heart of the plate.
Cubs pitcher Ryan Pressly reacts after Shohei Ohtani grounds out to end the game.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But of the 16 total heaters the Dodgers swung at against Rea, — a lanky 6-foot-5 right-hander with a deceptively low release point — they whiffed six times, put only three in play and recorded just one hit on a Michael Conforto single in the second.
Conforto eventually came around to score on a Hernández single, giving the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. But, on a day they were once again without Freeman (who got a scheduled day off after his return from the injured list at the start of the weekend), it didn’t do much to kick-start the offense.
“Each guy is trying to find their individual swing,” Roberts said. “When you get guys that are kind of searching, they’re looking more anxious than I think typically we are.”
On the mound, Tyler Glasnow bounced back from last week’s frustrating outing in Philadelphia, when he imploded during a third-inning rain shower for a disastrous five-run meltdown.
“He was frustrated at himself, rightfully so,” Roberts said pregame, having sought out Glasnow this week to ensure he’d flushed any lingering disappointment. “He’s coming into today with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.”
Over a strong six-inning, two-run start, Glasnow just did that, striking out seven batters, walking only one and surrendering just three hits despite feeling off with his mechanics.
“Generally, when I feel like that, it usually ends a lot worse,” Glasnow said, noting his inability to locate pitches precisely how he wanted. “So glad I could just get through it.”
The only problem: Two of the hits Glasnow yielded left the yard.
Outfielder Kyle Tucker and second baseman Nico Hoerner can’t come up with this single by Mookie Betts.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted a tying solo home run off the right-field foul pole in the third. Ex-Dodgers prospect Michael Busch ended a nine-pitch at-bat in the sixth with a solo shot to the bullpen.
That gave Busch six hits in his Chavez Ravine homecoming this weekend, and the Cubs their first lead of the day at 2-1.
The Dodgers did get Glasnow off the hook for the loss in the bottom of the sixth. Conforto singled again to lead off the inning. Smith doubled down the line to set up Max Muncy for a tying sacrifice fly.
But the Dodgers — as has so often been the case over the last couple of weeks — failed to tack on.
That allowed the Cubs (11-7) to retake the lead with more long ball in the top of the seventh, with Crow-Armstrong launching on a hanging cutter from Blake Treinen to center for his second home run of the day.
The Dodgers then gift-wrapped an insurance run to the Cubs in the eighth, giving up another score after Conforto missed a fly ball near the left-field line for a leadoff double.
Given the way the Dodgers have swung the bats lately, however, Chicago didn’t need it. Over their final three trips to the plate, the Dodgers’ only baserunner came via a stranded seventh-inning walk from Betts.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve sucked for two weeks,” Betts said. “It just happens that it’s right now. If we panic, things get worse. If you don’t panic, it looks like we don’t care.”
Panic is certainly not what the Dodgers felt after the game, with Roberts and his players framing the last couple weeks as a temporary blip.
Sure, three straight series losses (something that only happened once last season, also in April) might have come as a surprise. Their .218 team batting average in that stretch certainly wasn’t expected, either.
But on the whole, an 11-6 record is one Roberts said he happily “would have banked” if offered back before opening day.
And while it “stings” to have come after an 8-0 start, he conceded, there’s virtually no scenario in which he sees the offense scuffling long-term.
“I know we’re going to hit. I know we’re going to score runs, things like that,” Roberts said. “We’ve just got to get back to who we are.”
Sports
Pirates star pitcher makes unfortunate history after being taken out in middle of perfect game bid
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Jared Jones was flirting with Major League Baseball history on Wednesday night — he got it, but it was not what he originally envisioned.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher retired the first 18 batters he faced, but he was taken out in the middle of his perfect game bid after six innings.
Now, the Pirates certainly have their reasons — the 24-year-old Jones hasn’t thrown more than 81 pitches in eight starts since returning May 20 after missing all of last season while undergoing ulnar collateral ligament internal brace surgery on May 21, 2025. He was yanked with 77 pitches and likely would have needed more than 100 pitches to record the 25th perfect game in MLB history.
Jared Jones of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on July 8, 2026, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
However, Jones left the game after getting zero run support, so when the Atlanta Braves tacked on three runs late for a 3-0 victory, Jones instead found himself in the wrong chapter of the history books.
According to Opta Stats, Jones became the first pitcher in the modern era (since 1920) to pitch at least six perfect innings and not record a win.
“It does suck. Something’s cool coming on, but I’m on what? My eighth start off of surgery? I completely understand it, and it is what it is,” Jones told reporters after the game.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jared Jones (17) makes his way to the field to warm up before pitching against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
JUSTIN VERLANDER ANNOUNCES HE WILL RETIRE AFTER THIS SEASON: ‘I’VE REALIZED THAT TIME HAS COME’
Jones said he didn’t entertain attempting to complete the perfect game.
“Not with the pitch count,” he said. “Not really ever expecting to go nine right now, so that was never in my head.”
Joey Bart, traded to the Braves from the Pirates on June 18, followed a double by Mike Yastrzemski with a 422-foot, two-run homer to left-center field off a slider from Dennis Santana. Drake Baldwin added an RBI single to center in the ninth for good measure.
It was the second time in less than a week that a pitcher was taken out of the game with a perfect bid through six innings — the Miami Marlins took Eury Perez out after seven innings in which he had 92 pitches. Perez, too, is in the midst of returning from injury and has surprisingly found himself right in the postseason mix.
He was pulled for Lake Bachar to start the eighth, and the Marlins allowed eight runs to the Athletics in the final two innings, but held on to win 9-8.
Jared Jones (17) of the Pittsburgh Pirates delivers a pitch during a MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on June 27, 2026, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Pirates are 4.0 games out of the final wild card spot, which is held by the Marlins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON — The Dodgers are scheduled to visit the White House on July 23 to celebrate their latest World Series title.
“President Trump is excited to welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers BACK to the White House to celebrate their World Series championship!,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Times.
The date falls on a scheduled off day in the middle of a nine-game East Coast road trip for the Dodgers. The team will play three games in Philadelphia against the Phillies July 20-22 before ending the trip with a three-game series against the New York Mets July 24 to 26.
The visit continues a tradition from the Dodgers’ two previous World Series championships. They were hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump in April 2025.
After the Dodgers claimed their second consecutive World Series title with a dramatic Game 7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, a visit to the White House was planned, but it wasn’t until Thursday that a date was officially booked and confirmed.
Questions swirled around whether players would decline the visit this year after it did not happen during a scheduled visit to Washington in April.
Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family when last year’s visit was announced. After winning his first World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.
Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team who was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury.
Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year’s ceremony.
Asked at the Dodgers’ fan festival in January about the possibility of returning to the White House, Roberts told The Times’ Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.”
“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country,” Roberts said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. … For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”
Clayton Kershaw, who retired after last season but was on Team USA for this year’s World Baseball Classic, told The Times in the spring that he was aware Dodgers fans are split over whether the team should visit the White House again this year, but he said he is looking forward to it.
“I went when President Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”
Times deputy sports editor Ed Guzman contributed to this report.
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All eyes were on Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night as she made her anticipated return from injury in a road matchup in Los Angeles.
But instead of a triumphant comeback, the Fever spent the entire night chasing the Sparks as Clark’s rough return fueled a 106-92 rout.
The superstar never found a groove, looking completely out of sync in her return from a back injury.
STEPHANIE WHITE GIVES CAITLIN CLARK STATUS UPDATE AHEAD OF FEVER-SPARKS, BUT HER NEXT MOVE RAISES QUESTIONS
Caitlin Clark huddles with teammates as the Indiana Fever battle the Sparks. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
Much of that disjointed performance falls squarely on head coach Stephanie White, who kept Clark on a ridiculously tight leash by limiting her to just 16 minutes. The stop-and-go approach could have sabotaged any chance for the phenom to establish a rhythm.
Clark finished with just 9 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Her minus-16 plus-minus told the story.
The Los Angeles Sparks were severely shorthanded, taking the floor without stars Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink.
MERCURY’S NOW-DELETED SOCIAL MEDIA POST MOCKING CAITLIN CLARK DRAWS SCRUTINY AFTER STAR’S INJURY
Yet while a depleted Sparks roster played to win, Indiana spent the night over-managing its biggest asset.
With Clark on a minutes restriction and Aliyah Boston out of the lineup, Kelsey Mitchell was forced to shoulder the entire offensive burden.
Mitchell did her part, pouring in 29 points while shooting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Caitlin Clark orchestrates the Fever offense as Indiana battles the Los Angeles Sparks in primetime action. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) ((Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images))
But one hot hand couldn’t stop an efficient LA squad.
The Sparks shot 45% from three-point range, going 9-of-20 from deep to cruise to the 106-92 victory.
White’s next move is to sit Clark against the Mercury on Thursday while Boston returns.
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After Wednesday’s loss to a shorthanded Sparks team, it’s fair to question whether Indiana’s cautious approach is working. The Fever dropped to 12-9.
Caitlin Clark and Dearica Hamby face off as Fever and Sparks battle at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. (Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images) ((Photo by Tyler Ross/NBAE via Getty Images))
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
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