Dodgers manager Don Mattingly surprised the gathered media during his post game interview after Wednesday night’s painful 2-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox, thus bringing an end of yet another losing (4-6) home stand. After being asked several times in a variety of ways why his $239 million team could muster only one run and two hits (both by Dee Gordon) in the series and home stand finally, Mattingly finally stopped making excuses for his star-laden team.

“I really think you should talk to them,” said the visibly frustrated Dodgers skipper. “I’m tired of answering the questions, honestly.”

But before reporters could leave the media interview room to do exactly that, Mattingly tossed out one final zinger – one that Dodger fans have pretty much been saying all season long.

“Well, home, away, whatever, I don’t know that that’s got anything to do with it,” Mattingly said. “It’s just being basically shitty. We’re just not that good.”

Little did anyone know at the time that Dee Gordon’s 1st inning leadoff drag bunt would be one of only two hits the Dodgers would collect on Wednesday night. The second would be a Gordon leg double in the 8th inning. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But the real shocker came when the handful of reporters walked into the deathly quiet Dodgers clubhouse to do as Mattingly had suggested – they went to talk to Matt Kemp and Adrian Gonzales about their teams’ struggles and, more specifically, their respective 4 for 33 (.121) and 5 for 33 (.151) home stand. Both refused to talk to reporters.

So much for that ‘talk to them’ thing.

Whereas Kemp and Gonzalez refused to accept responsibility and accountability, Hanley Ramirez did not.

“I don’t know what to say. I still go out, hustle, do the best I can. Of course you’ve got to be mad,” Ramirez said. “We’re not doing nothing right now, so we’ve got to start playing better. Everybody should be angry the way we’re playing right now.”

Even utility outfielder/first baseman Scott Van Slyke, who is not among the multi-millionaires on the Dodgers roster, is frustrated, but he did not shy away from his teams’ struggles or shun reporters.

“That’s just where we’re at,” said the normally jovial Van Slyke. “If we were losing and we were playing the way we should be I think people would be more accepting of that, but we’re losing and we’re playing the way we’re not supposed to.”

Another Dodgers non-superstar, back-up catcher Drew Butera, stood up and faced the music as well.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating,” Butera said. “No one here is happy with what we’re doing. But you can’t put your head down and cry about it, you have to keep grinding it out.”

As for Dee Gordon, the sum and total of Wednesday night’s Dodgers offense, he too accepted the uncomfortable responsibility to face reporters in bad times as well as good times.

“Guys are frustrated,” said Gordon. “We’ve got talent and we’re not winning games. I mean, there’s talent everywhere. It’s just frustrating for everyone.”

With Wednesday night’s loss the Dodgers are now only one game over .500 (31-30), but more importantly, now find themselves eight games back of the division-leading Giants and dangerously close to last year’s season low of 9.5 games back. And while there are some who still believe that the Dodgers will suddenly go on another miracle 42-8 run, the painful truth is that there isn’t another Yasiel Puig to call up from the minors nor another MVP-caliber Hanley Ramirez coming off of the disabled list to help towards that end.

Although it is impossible to speculate what it will be, it’s safe to assume that something will happen within the Dodgers organization in the coming days or weeks if the team with baseball’s highest payroll doesn’t show a marked improvement in the very near future.