What has happened to the Dodgers?

They've lost 6 in a row

What a difference a week makes.

Just last week I posted an article where I broke down the Dodgers’ very successful June. After having a gauntlet of a schedule, they had their best month of the season and built a 9-game lead in the NL West.

Fangraphs had their chances of winning the division at 98.4 percent. On Twitter, I said the division was all but wrapped up. In order to blow that lead, a disaster would have to happen for the Dodgers.

Yeah, what a difference a week makes.

Now, the Dodgers are still the heavy favorites to win the NL West. Fangraphs gives them a 93 percent chance. Their betting odds are -2000. They’re still expected to win the division relatively easily. It just doesn’t look as wrapped up as it did a week ago.

They have arguably their biggest series of the season coming up this weekend. They’ll head to San Francisco with a 5-game lead over the Giants. With a sweep, LA will have an 8-game lead over them which would all but knock SF out of contention. I know, I know, I should have learned my lesson already, right?

Now, if the Dodgers were to somehow get swept and continue this losing streak, they’d enter the break with a 2-game lead in the division, opening the race wide open.

The Dodgers are currently going through one of the worst stretches we’ve seen from this team in recent memory. They’ve lost six consecutive games, their longest losing streak since 2019. During this six-game losing streak, they have a run differential of -34. That is their worst run differential in a six-game stretch since 1958, the team’s first season in Los Angeles.

During this recent skid, only one game was truly out of reach. Last Friday, LA lost to the Astros 18-1, which really juiced up the run differential. The other five games have been there for the taking for the Dodgers. So, what has been the issue? It’s pretty easy.

The offense.