Many fans hoped the All-Star break would serve as a much-needed reset for the Dodgers, but the second half of the season has looked all too familiar. Los Angeles kicked things off with a home series against the red-hot Brewers, followed by a set against the Twins. The results were mixed—and frustrating.
The Dodgers were swept by the Brewers in a three-game series, losing 0–2, 7–8, and 5–6. The story was the same: when the offense showed up, the pitching fell short—and when the pitching held, the bats went quiet.
Friday’s opener saw Quinn Priester dominate the Dodgers, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits. Tyler Glasnow pitched well for L.A., tossing six innings with six strikeouts and just one earned run. That lone run came after Glasnow walked Isaac Collins, who was driven in by a Caleb Durbin double.
The next two games were more offensively driven, but every time the Dodgers scored, Milwaukee answered right back. The Brewers consistently edged out wins, thanks in part to shaky Dodgers pitching and defensive miscues. Sunday’s game featured Clayton Kershaw on the mound. The veteran lefty went 4.1 innings, but two unearned runs—caused by outfield errors—proved costly. Kershaw ended his postgame interview early, visibly frustrated, saying only: “We need to win a game. No excuses. Just play better.”
The Brewers extended their win streak to 11 games during the sweep and now own the best record in baseball at 61–41. While Milwaukee was clearly hot, the Dodgers still had multiple chances to win but simply failed to capitalize.
The series against the Twins went slightly better. L.A. took two out of three, winning the opener 5–2, losing a sloppy Game 2 by a score of 10–7, and clinching the finale with a dramatic 4–3 walk-off victory.
Manager Dave Roberts and his staff made some tweaks heading into the series. One key change was flipping Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani in the batting order—hoping either to get Betts going or give Ohtani more RBI opportunities. That move paid off right away. On Monday, Ohtani—who was also starting on the mound—gave up a leadoff homer to Byron Buxton. But in the bottom half of the inning, Betts drew a walk, and Ohtani crushed a 441-foot home run to center field to take a 2–1 lead. Ohtani pitched 4.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits, striking out three, and continuing to build up his stamina.
Tuesday’s game exposed some familiar problems. The Dodgers committed three errors that led to four unearned runs, ultimately deciding the outcome. A second-inning fielding error
allowed two runs to score, and in the seventh, reliever Edgardo Hernandez made a wild throw to first, letting in three more (two unearned).
Wednesday’s finale started with excitement as Ohtani homered in his fifth straight game. Royce Lewis responded for the Twins with a third-inning homer of his own. Tyler Glasnow was excellent again, going seven innings, allowing just three hits, one walk, and racking up 12 strikeouts.
The Dodgers trailed late but rallied in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Betts singled to extend the game. The Twins intentionally walked Ohtani, and Esteury Ruiz—pinch-running for Teoscar Hernández—earned a walk to load the bases for Freddie Freeman. Freeman, who recently made a small mechanical tweak to his swing after studying old World Series footage, came through. He lined a single just in front of Harrison Bader in left, scoring Betts and Ohtani for the walk-off 4–3 win.
While the win was a positive note, the Dodgers still have work to do. Defensive errors have become increasingly common, and the bullpen remains unreliable—despite a lighter workload. To make matters worse, reliever Tanner Scott just went down with an elbow injury, further thinning the pitching staff.
Fortunately, the trade deadline is approaching, and several high-leverage arms are reportedly available. The front office will need to act fast if the Dodgers want to steady the ship and make a serious playoff run.