It’s been a rough week for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After sweeping the White Sox, they’ve now been swept by both the Astros and Brewers, bringing their losing streak to six games — tying their longest skid since 2017.
Astros Bring the Fireworks
Houston came to town on Friday, July 4th, and made sure the crowd saw fireworks — just not the kind Dodgers fans hoped for. The Astros crushed the Dodgers 18–1, marking the worst loss since the franchise moved to Los Angeles. A 10-run sixth inning was the dagger: Jose Altuve launched a three-run homer, and Victor Caratini added a grand slam. The Dodgers’ only run came on a solo shot from Will Smith.
On Saturday, the Dodgers’ offense improved slightly against Astros ace Framber Valdez. Mookie Betts and Miguel Rojas both homered, and Shohei Ohtani started the game, striking out the side in the second inning. However, all of L.A.’s runs came by the fourth, and they ultimately lost 6–4. In the bottom of the eighth, with two on and two out, the Dodgers threatened — but Josh Hader came in and slammed the door for a four-out save.
Sunday offered little relief. The Dodgers scored first in the second inning, but that was all the offense they could muster, falling 5–1. Emmet Sheehan pitched a solid outing in just his second start of the season, going five innings with four strikeouts and allowing only one earned run. But the Astros pulled away late with back-to-back homers from Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz off closer Tanner Scott. Walker went 6-for-15 in the series with two home runs and six RBIs — continuing his dominance against L.A. with a .349 career average and MLB-best 1.203 OPS at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers were outscored 29–6 over the weekend.
Milwaukee Makes It Worse
Things didn’t get better in Milwaukee. On Monday, the Dodgers sent Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound to stop the bleeding, but the Brewers had other plans. In his first at-bat as a Brewer, Andrew Vaughn launched a three-run homer in the first inning. The Brewers added two more, knocking Yamamoto out early in what became his shortest start as a Dodger. L.A. lost 9–1, their fourth straight defeat.
Tuesday’s matchup featured future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw — fresh off joining the 3,000-strikeout club — against Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski. Ohtani gave the Dodgers an early boost, blasting a 431-foot homer to dead center on an 0–2 curveball. It was his 31st of the season, the most by any Dodger before the All-Star break. But Misiorowski settled in, striking out 12 over six dominant innings. Kershaw gave up two runs
in the fourth but pitched well, going six innings with three strikeouts. The Brewers added one more in the eighth to win 3–1.
In the series finale on Wednesday, Tyler Glasnow made his first start since April 27. He looked strong, going five innings with five strikeouts and one unearned run. The Dodgers scored on a bases-loaded walk by Ohtani in the fifth and a sac fly from Betts in the seventh. But it wasn’t enough. In the 10th inning, Jackson Chourio’s walk-off single scored Sal Frelick, handing the Dodgers a 3–2 loss and a sixth straight defeat.
What’s Going Wrong?
In this six-game stretch, the Dodgers have been outscored 44–10 and are hitting just .190 as a team.
The biggest concern? The stars have gone quiet:
· Shohei Ohtani: 4-for-21 (.190), 2 RBIs (including the solo shot off Misiorowski)
· Mookie Betts: 6-for-24 (.250), 2 RBIs
· Freddie Freeman: 3-for-22 (.136), 0 RBIs
Max Muncy’s injury has hurt the offense, and both Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernández were limited to pinch-hitting roles, unable to provide regular starts.
The Silver Lining
Despite the slump, the Dodgers still hold a five-game lead over both the Padres and Giants in the NL West. They remain second in MLB overall by record. Its baseball and six games is nothing if anything this could be a good sign the Dodgers lost six in a row in 2017 and had stretches where they went 30-4 and we all remember where that team went that year.
Tyler Glasnow is back, and Ohtani continues to build toward returning to the mound, which would be a huge boost to the rotation. The recent schedule has also been grueling — long road trips and back-to-back series likely contributed to the fatigue. The upcoming All-Star break may be just what the team needs to reset.
Before the break, the Dodgers head to San Francisco for a three-game series. A familiar rivalry could be the perfect opportunity to snap the skid.