The Los Angeles Dodgers could not build on their blowout victory over the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday afternoon, as they fell 2-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the opener of a four-game series at American Family Field.
The club was stymied by Eric Lauer, who tossed five shutout innings in his season debut. L.A.’s lineup found a little more success against Milwaukee’s bullpen, scoring their only run in the ninth inning on an RBI single by Austin Barnes.
The Dodgers outhit the Brewers, 9-4, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a seventh loss in their past 10 games. A lot of the team’s recent struggles can be attributed to an inconsistent offense, although Justin Turner believes some of it has to do with misfortune as well.
“I think a little bit of bad luck is definitely in there,” the 36-year-old said of the Dodgers’ recent offensive woes. “We’ve hit a lot of balls hard and not gotten rewarded for it, which makes it tough to feel confident.
“You take a good at-bat, hit a ball hard and when you don’t get rewarded, it’s frustrating. That can fester a little bit. And then you go out there the next time and maybe try to do a little more, which isn’t a great recipe.”
As Turner noted, the Dodgers have been hitting the ball harder in recent games, but with not much to show for it. He believes the results will eventually return as long as the club continues following through with their approach.
“I think you just understand we’re taking good at-bats, we’re hitting balls hard, eventually they’ll get back to finding holes and we’ll be able to pass the baton like we’re used to,” Turner said.
Roberts: Dodgers’ struggles not due to ‘lack of preparation’
When asked to explain the recent offensive struggles, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts cited inconsistencies while ruling out a poor work ethic. “It’s definitely not lack of preparation, lack of focus, lack of talent,” he said.
“It’s just one of those things that we’re not consistently, as an offensive unit, in lockstep. That happens at different parts of the season.”
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