The Dodgers’ recent slide has put a spotlight on more than one problem, but the biggest one might be hiding in plain sight: fastballs.
Los Angeles has been stumbling since the MLB trade deadline. The club has dropped multiple series in a row, endured a seven-game losing streak, then snapped it with a win only to turn around and lose again immediately after. The bullpen has taken some of the blame, but the offense has been just as central to the mess.
According to The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, the Dodgers have developed a glaring weakness against the pitch they’re seeing more than anyone else.
“Opposing pitching staffs have appeared to find a hole,” Ardaya writes. “Since July 1, no team in baseball has seen a higher percentage of fastballs than the Dodgers (58.7 percent). The Dodgers have produced a .693 OPS against those pitches in that span, including the fourth-worst on-base percentage (.310) and fifth-worst slugging percentage (.383) in those spots.”
That’s a problem for any lineup. For this one, it’s a red flag.
If opposing pitchers can get by this Dodgers group with fastballs, they’re making the game much easier on themselves. And with the postseason approaching, there’s still time for Los Angeles to clean it up - but not much room for this to linger.
There are specific matchups that would make that weakness matter even more. Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers would be a perfect match for the Dodgers’ lineup. So would Philadelphia Phillies starters Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, and Cristopher Sanchez if the Dodgers can’t do better against velocity.
That’s what makes this stretch so jarring. The Dodgers have the kind of lineup that should overwhelm teams, with Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy, and the rest of the order all giving them the ingredients for an elite offense.
Instead, they’ve been getting beat by a pitch that should not be the thing causing this much trouble. Right now, that fastball issue is one of the clearest reasons the Dodgers are fighting through this rough patch.
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