We’ve heard a lot about the Dodgers almost three-week long team-wide slump; a slump that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has repeatedly referred to as “just a little lull” and “a little funk.” But what we haven’t heard is what the big boss – Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman – has to say about it.

Until now.

In an exclusive interview with longtime LA Times Dodgers beat reporter Bill Shaikin, Friedman finally weighed in on his team’s recent struggles and, unlike his manager, he wasn’t afraid to call it what it is – a slump.

Here is what Friedman had to say – word-for-word – to Shaikin (courtesy of the LA Times [subscription required] and True Blue LA):

“It’s funny, I thought there was a chance that winning a World Series would help give you perspective for games that you lose in April, but it has not. It’s just kind of an imperfect storm. I think the offensive slump that a number of guys are going through is part of the game, and to be expected over the course of the season. I think it’s really rare for five or six guys to be going through it at the same time. That, coupled with the number of injuries we’ve had that have been so concentrated, has contributed to it as well.

“It doesn’t change the fact that this has been a really frustrating run for all of us. Those losses are in the bank. But I feel very confident we’re going to start playing a much better brand of baseball and, fortunately, our strong start allowed us not to dig too deep a hole in these last couple weeks.

“It gets back to the overall talent of the group, which we still very much believe in. But the imperfect storm has been in games that we have hit well but haven’t pitched well, games that we have pitched well but haven’t hit well and have struggled to tack on runs throughout the game. There are periods when this happens. This feels more dramatic, and maybe because we’re mired in it right now; we’ll be on the upswing soon.

“But obviously, this stretch has not been fun. Each day I wake up thinking that today is going to be the day we break out of it. But really, it’s not about any one day; it’s about doing it consistently, night in and night out, and that’s what we have to get back to.”

It goes beyond all logic and common sense to think that the Dodgers will not come out of their current slump. But where things get a little uncomfortable, and as Friedman astutely notes, “Those losses are in the bank.”

In other words, and for those who like to say “it’s still early,” a loss in April and May carries exactly the same weight as a loss in September and October, and are indeed “…in the bank.”

Play Ball!

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