Disappointment has been a more consistent feeling for many Dodgers fans lately. After losing two of three to the Atlanta Braves this past weekend, the Dodgers are now three games back of the division-leading San Francisco Giants and one game behind the second-place San Diego Padres.

During game three against the Braves on Sunday, 30-year-old UCLA alumn and 2020 National League Cy Young award winner Trevor Bauer took the mound with the anticipation of winning the series for his teammates. Unfortunately for the Hart High graduate in Santa Clarita, CA and first-round draft pick in 2011 by the Arizona Diamondbacks, his performance on the bump fell short of expectations.

Of his 100 pitches on the day, only 64 were for strikes. He allowed three earned runs on six hits in his 6.0 innings of work. And even though he struck out seven Braves batters to give him a team-leading 103 through his team-leading 13 starts (tied with Clayton Kershaw), he also walked six to give him a team-leading 27.

As has been a common theme of late for Dodgers starters, Bauer received little run support. In fact, were it not for an RBI single and a solo home run from 41-year-old / 21-year MLB veteran Albert Pujols, Bauer would have had zero run support in the eventual 4-2 Dodgers loss.

But as we’ve come to expect from Bauer, he again refused to blame his teammates for their shortcomings and instead shouldered the blame himself.

“Everyone likes to make a big deal of run support,” Bauer told reporters postgame. “My job is to go out there and pitch. So regardless of what’s on the scoreboard, my job is to go out there and not give up runs, and nothing changes.”

Regardless, the clear offensive hero of the game for the Dodgers, albeit in a losing effort, was Pujols. But even though the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native and 13th-round draft pick in 1999 by the St. Loius Cardinals went 2-for-4 on the day (including his 671st career home run), the Dodgers tallied only five additional hits, none of which produced any runs.

Since joining the Dodgers on May 17, Pujols has appeared in 16 games and has 48 official at-bats. During those at-bats, he has homered four times and doubled twice while driving in 12 runs. With his home run in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday, he surpassed Babe Ruth in career extra-base hits and now sits alone in fourth place on the all-time extra-base hit list with his 1,357 extra-base hits; behind only Stan Musial (1,377), Barry Bonds (1,440), and Henry Aaron (1,477).

“I think coming over here, he certainly added a lot to our ballclub and has been productive. Certainly against left-handed pitching, which is the reason we acquired him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think just collectively, we just all got to pull our own weight, but he’s doing a really nice job for us.”

When it comes to facing left-handed pitchers, Pujols is batting over .300. The six-time Silver Slugger is just what the Dodgers need in the lineup when facing left-handed pitching. But with an otherwise cold offense, the Dodgers bats need to wake up to snap out of their current two-game skid and the previous losing streaks that have plagued Roberts’ team over the past several weeks. In fact, during the just-concluded three-game series with the Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta, the Dodgers tallied only 16 total hits to the Braves 25.

“It’s been inconsistent, I think. There’s been some really good play; there’s been some mediocre play,” Roberts said. “I think the pitching has been really good, consistently. I think offensively, we just got to continue to take good at-bats and just be more consistent on that side.”

Inconsistency does not win games.

Come on, Dodgers. You can do better than this.

Let’s Play Ball!

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