Cold bats, a rough week, and now a real skid — the Dodgers have some explaining to do. Welcome to Dodgers Daily Fancast — and yeah, I am not handling this well. We’ve got the offense stuck in mud, a second-base roster puzzle, and a bullpen that keeps poking new holes in the same boat. And then they go get blown out by the Giants — the GIANTS — so, yeah, this is not calming anybody down. From Fredo Cervantes at Yahoo Sports:
The Dodgers have now scored three runs or fewer in nine of their last 12 games. Monday’s lineup once again struggled to produce meaningful pressure outside of a brief middle-inning surge carried almost entirely by Muncy, who continues to be one of the few consistent offensive threats in the lineup.
Three straight losses, three runs or fewer in nine of their last 12 games, and now the Giants are celebrating at Dodger Stadium. That Braves frustration didn’t stay a one-night thing — this cold-bats mess just turned into a three-game skid. Of course it’s the Giants. OF COURSE. You could not script a nastier night than getting rolled nine to three at home by San Francisco. I feel sick. Devin, it’s May. They’re still in good shape in the standings. This isn’t the ’92 Lakers. And Ohtani looks completely lost right now — the guy, the centerpiece, struggling while Muncy’s carrying the offense? Max Muncy! I love Max, but that is not the plan. Blake Williams, writing in DodgerBlue:
With that, the Dodgers will need to make room on their active roster, and the decision on who to demote to Triple-A Oklahoma City is likely to come down to Hyeseong Kim or Alex Freeland. Both players have performed well as of late, but with Betts back, they also fill the same role as a left-handed hitting option at second base.
Mookie Betts is back Monday, which is great news — and it also kicks up a real roster crunch. Roberts called it a tough decision between Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland, and both guys have earned the conversation. This is the best kind of problem to have. Two guys are playing well, and now somebody has to get optioned because MOOKIE BETTS is coming back? I love this team right now. Espinal’s probably safe — he just reworked his deal, and he’s the only right-handed bat in that mix. So, yeah, it really comes down to Kim or Freeland, and both of them are better players than the guy who’s staying. Freeland gets labeled a lefty bat even though he switch-hits, so roster-wise he and Kim are basically fighting for the same spot. Somebody good is heading to Oklahoma City, and that’s a weird sentence to say out loud. Dodgers Beat, with Zach Hiney:
Before their series finale against the Atlanta Braves, Dave Roberts announced that Wyatt Mills is being recalled from Triple-A. To make room for him, Paul Gervase has been optioned back to Triple-A, and Edwin Diaz was moved to the 60-day injured list.
Bullpen musical chairs update: Wyatt Mills is back in the majors for the first time since 2022, Edwin Diaz is on the 60-day IL — honestly, that surprises nobody — and Paul Gervase goes back to Oklahoma City to make room. Diaz to the 60-day just makes official what we already knew. But Mills? This guy missed all of 2024 with Tommy John and hadn’t thrown a big-league pitch in four years. That’s who’s covering leads right now? He’s got a 3.26 ERA and a sub-one WHIP at Triple-A this year. This bullpen’s banged up — you use what’s available. This organization has done more with less before. Here's one from r/baseball (19 upvotes):
Roberts in a close game: “Fuck close games. Put in the guy who barely has a functioning arm”
I mean, I laughed, but I’m also kind of scared that’s accurate. Dave has made some interesting bullpen calls over the years, and I do not always love them. The guy has a functioning ERA and WHIP — relax. You don’t have to love the move, but “barely functioning arm” is a stretch. From r/baseball (51 upvotes):
Gotta love when a team with multiple MVPs and Cy Young candidates rebrands to the Los Angeles Punters for the late innings
Los Angeles Punters — okay, that one stings a little. Though I’d bet that was a Giants fan writing it, which makes it sting less. Any bullpen looks thin in May when half your guys are hurt. This isn’t a crisis; it’s roster management. From r/Dodgers (6 upvotes):
6’10 throws low 90s but the extension to home plate plays up closer to mid 90s. Hopefully he comes back up and relieves our short kings like YamaGOATo as major contract for opposing batters
Six-ten with extension that plays up to mid-nineties — that’s a real scouting note, and it matters. YamaGOATo, I’m stealing that forever. And yeah, if Mills can just not be a disaster bridge to the back end, that’s all anybody wants. Yahoo Sports writes:
Scoring has been an issue for a while now for the Dodgers, with three or fewer runs eight times in their last 11 games, and 12 times in their last 21 games. That’s the recipe for going from a 15-4 start to the season to just 9-12 since.
Week 7 for the Dodgers: 3-3 split, eight home runs, and somehow the offense still looked broken. Three or fewer runs in eight of their last eleven games — that 15-4 start feels like a different season. Zero runs against Strider and Elder? Two hits on Sunday? I’m sorry, that’s not a slump, that’s a problem. Atlanta has the best record in baseball and we showed up with a Little League lineup. It’s May, Devin. They’re still above .500 on the season. I’ve watched this franchise crawl through far uglier stretches than three rough weeks. The McCourt speech is coming, I can feel it. Fine. But 9-12 since the start? That is not nothing, Cassidy. Here's one from r/baseball (93 upvotes):
We also lead the league in losses. 1st place! 🥇
Some r/baseball fan pointing out the Dodgers lead the league in losses — and, yeah, that’s technically true and also completely useless in May. Gold medal for trolling, though. That’s a Giants fan. Has to be. That energy is way too recognizable. Over on r/Dodgers (292 upvotes):
Shohei: What the hell guys, I could've used a couple of these runs yesterday
Shohei watching the offense go silent behind him while he checks the iPad — man, that image hurts. He’s carrying this team and they’re giving him nothing. To be fair, he’s also one of the guys in the lineup who’s supposed to provide those runs. This isn’t only a pitching-support problem. r/Dodgers (84 upvotes), weighing in:
Sasaki throws 6.2 innings of 2 ER baseball Yamamoto drops a run and strands a runner in 3rd and 1st base in the 2nd inning but cruises to 7 innings 2 ER afterwards Ohtani throws 7 innings of shutout baseball with 2 walks and 1 hit Sheehan perfect game I believe
Okay, this is the content I needed. Sasaki, Yamamoto, Ohtani, Sheehan — when that rotation is locked in, I do not care who’s in the lineup. We win ugly, we win often. That’s the real reason I’m not panicking. When your four and five starters are dealing like that, the offense is going to show up eventually. Rotations like that cover a lot of mistakes. Here's Michael Whitaker at ClutchPoints:
Since April 21, the Dodgers' offense has been limited to four runs or fewer in 13 of 18 games, during which they've lost 10 times. In the mind of manager Dave Roberts, they're clearly in a funk right now, as demonstrated by Sunday's offensive struggles.
Dodgers are 24-16, second in the NL West, and Dave Roberts is calling it a funk — because four runs or fewer in 13 of the last 18 games is not exactly a vibe. A funk? Getting shut out by the Braves at home, 7-2, and the manager’s word is “funk”? Cassidy, I am not okay. Devin, they’re still eight games over .500. I watched this team lose ninety games under Frank McCourt while ownership was in divorce court. Calm down. I know, I know — but this roster costs half a billion dollars a year, and Max Muncy is out here talking about “taking it on our shoulders.” Bro, just hit the ball. We’ve put links to every story from today’s show in the notes, so if something caught your ear, you can dig into the original reporting there.
That’s Dodgers Daily Fancast for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.