Dodgers search for elusive first win in August
· Yahoo Sports
The Dodgers will turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday in hopes to end their seven-game losing streak, a stretch in which nothing really seems to match up properly.
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Yamamoto pitched quite well last Saturday at home, allowing three runs in eight innings to the Boston Red Sox, but that was a game in which the Dodgers offense could only score twice. Much like Friday night in Arizona, Roki Sasaki allowed only two run in six innings and the Dodgers took a lead in the eighth inning, but a bad Edwin Díaz slider turned that into a loss, too.
The loss on Tuesday at Wrigley Field turned lopsided later, but that was another strong start wasted, with Tarik Skubal allowing only two runs in six frames in his Dodgers debut.
Major league teams are 803-358 (.692) when their pitcher provides a quality start this season. The Dodgers lead the majors with 61 quality start this season, 11 more than any other team, and that’s not even including the six hitless, scoreless innings Eric Lauer provided in bulk relief following an opener on June 22.
The Dodgers are 44-17 (.721) when receiving a quality start, but have lost three such games in the last week on this losing streak.
Offense has been a big culprit during the swoon, even dating back to July when the Dodgers were outscored during the month for just the third time in nine years. Through the end of June, the Dodgers averaged 5.36 runs per game, most in the majors, and hit .266/.347/.443 with a 118 wRC+, tops in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and wRC+.
Since July 1, the Dodgers offense has been entrenched well into the bottom half of the league:
- 21st in runs per game (4.20)
- 20th in wRC+ (94)
- 19th in slugging percentage (.395)
- 18th in on-base percentage (.314)
- 12th in batting average (.251)
The Dodgers are also tied for 20th since the beginning of July with 32 home runs, with only nine of those home runs coming from outfielders, a collective group hitting just .225/.310/.346 with an 84 wRC+ over the last 30 games.
Home runs aren’t the only way to score, of course, and the Dodgers have weirdly done quite well with runners in scoring position during the seven-game losing streak, hitting .273/.333/.500 with a 125 wRC+. But they have just 48 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, fourth-fewest in the majors at just under seven such PA per game. MLB teams as a whole average over 68 PA with runners in scoring position over the last eight days.
Saturday game info- Teams: Dodgers at Diamondbacks
- Ballpark: Chase Field, Phoenix
- Start time: 5:10 p.m. PT
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)