The Dodgers are third in the National League West and one game above .500. Trevor Bauer did not sign up for that.
The right-hander let the world know that he was upset about the reigning World Series champs' ongoing slump. LA has lost 15 of its last 20 games after starting the season 13-2. The latest defeat was a 2-1 decision Sunday to the Angels in which Bauer started and took the loss.
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"I'm pissed, personally. I frickin' hate losing. I want to win, that's why I came here, and we're just not playing up to our capability right now," said Bauer (per MLB.com), who allowed two runs over six innings.
Bauer has been excellent this season — he has a 2.50 ERA and a team-leading 67 strikeouts over eight starts. He certainly has pitched better than his 3-2 record; in his two losses and three no-decisions he has allowed two, one, two, one and two earned runs.
And that gets to one of the primary reasons for the Dodgers being behind the Giants and Padres in the division: The offense has sputtered. LA has averaged 4.3 runs in that 20-game stretch, with a .221/.332/.358 slash line, 19 home runs and close to 10 strikeouts per game. Those numbers were inflated by a 14-run outburst Saturday and a 16-run game on May 2.
Center fielder Cody Bellinger (leg) has missed a month and counting, but LA's lineup was supposed to be deep enough to overcome that. Corey Seager (.678 OPS since April 18), Max Muncy (.642 OPS) and Gavin Lux (.578 OPS) have all struggled at the plate.
"We're working at-bats and getting guys on base, we just can't do what it takes to drive them in, it seems like," Chris Taylor said Sunday, per MLB.com.
LA manager Dave Roberts tried to sound positive after watching his team lose another close contest. The Dodgers are 2-9 in one-run games during the current tailspin.
"It's easy to look at the result as we put up one run today, but I just think the body of work today, the last few days have been a lot better," he said.
The hitters will test that theory as they face a mixed bag of pitching staffs during a nine-game homestand that starts Tuesday. LA will play two against the Mariners, three against the Marlins and four against the Diamondbacks. Seattle is 18th in the majors in team ERA, Miami is third and Arizona is 25th through Sunday.
