The Los Angeles Dodgers dropped their second straight game, struggling to find their groove on offense during a 4-2 defeat against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
Pete Crow-Armstrong led the Cubs with two home runs, his first of the season, including a go-ahead solo homer in the seventh inning. Former Dodgers infielder Michael Busch homered in the top of sixth to help Chicago take two of three in the series.
“It’s just a bumpy two weeks. We have a long season to go and a lot can happen,” said Mookie Betts, after Chicago outscored Los Angeles 20-6 in the three-game series. “This isn’t the first time that we’ve [been bad] for two weeks. It just happens to be right now. We panic [and] things get worse.”
The Dodgers have dropped consecutive series against the Phillies, Nationals and Cubs. Chicago defeated Los Angeles 16-0 on Saturday, marking the worst loss in franchise history for the Dodgers.
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“It doesn’t feel good. I think that’s what makes this stretch so frustrating” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Because, if I were to sit here today, however many games we’re into the season, and whatever our win-loss is, I would have banked it at the start of the season.”
Kiké Hernández went 1-for-4 on the day but got things rolling for the Dodgers with an RBI single to left in the bottom of the second, giving L.A. an early 1-0 lead. Max Muncy had a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 2-2 in the sixth after Chicago hit homers in the third and sixth.
The Cubs used seven pitchers, Colin Rea finished with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings and Ethan Roberts (1-0), got two outs in the sixth inning to get the win. Ryan Pressly picked up his fourth save of the season after a perfect ninth to close out the game.
“You also understand that it’s a 162-game season. It’s going to be like that. You’re never going to have every guy in the lineup be hot at the same time,” Hernández said. “We have more guys scuffling than we have guys that are feeling really good at the plate. It’s just one of those stretches right now, but it’s just a matter of time.”
Tyler Glasnow was solid in his start for Los Angeles, tallying seven strikeouts and allowing two earned runs in six innings on 98 pitches. Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen (0-2) had three strikeouts, but Crow-Armstrong blasted his second homer of the day to give the Cubs a 3-2 lead in the seventh.
Chicago added an insurance run in the eighth after Nico Hoerner drilled a two-out RBI single to right field off Alex Vesia that resulted in a 4-2 win for the Cubs.
“Different guys are going to do it different ways,” Betts said. “It’s early right now. It’s not [because] we’re not trying. We’re trying to get the job done.”
