The Los Angeles Dodgers have been winning games in spite of themselves the past two seasons.
Alarm sounded on Los Angeles Dodgers' fielding, non-power hitting originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in a rare position this time of year—not atop the vaunted NL West.
Since July 3, their nine-game lead has vanished. From that date, the Dodgers have the same 12-21 record as the woeful Colorado Rockies, suggesting this is more than a brief period of substandard play.
Mounting injuries, particularly in the rotation, have plagued the entire campaign. But with the third-highest payroll in the league and plenty of their superstars still in uniform, there's no excuse for this squad to be collapsing mid-season.
The recent sweep at the hands of the cross-town Angels has only raised concerns, but it's difficult to pinpoint the precise area plaguing the defending champions.
During his recent appearance on "Foul Territory," esteemed baseball journalist Tom Verducci pointed out a particular area that is tanking the Dodgers' overall form.
"What sticks out to me is the Dodgers aren't a good defensive team," Verducci said. "Over the last six seasons, they've been either first or second in the MLB in turning batted balls into outs. They are 18th there this year. They have a losing record against winning teams for the first time in over a decade. There are some systemic problems here."
LA has too much talent on both sides of the ball to be in such a rut, but to have such a fall-off defensively should startle the entire organization.
The idea that the Dodgers can just "turn it on" in the postseason falls flat when looking around the league and seeing the form the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies are in—all clubs that improved at the deadline.
Unless Dave Roberts can magically get his roster back to playing near their best, Los Angeles figures to be an early postseason exit.
Category: Baseball
