It is quickly moving from the ever-popular “It’s still early” stage to the “There is some concern” stage – “It” being the Dodgers roster-wide inexplicable and inexcusable lack of offense now 18 days (16 games) into the 2023 season.

Just how bad is it? Well… the Dodgers, a team with several of the very best hitters in the MLB on their 26-man and 40-man rosters, are slashing a combined .231/.339/.464/.803, which currently ranks third in the National League West and fifth in the National League.

That said, their 27 home runs (as of Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium) are tops in the NL and second in the MLB to the Tampa Bay Rays’ ridiculous 37 home runs. The Dodgers 84 RBI are also tops in the National League and third in the MLB to the Rays’ ridiculous 112 and the Baltimore Orioles’ 91, so there’s that.

Unfortunately, and despite their impressive home run and RBI numbers, the Dodgers will begin play on Monday evening against the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium with an 8-8 record and in second place in the NL West 1.0 games behind the 9-7 division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks and a half game ahead of the 8-9 third place San Diego Padres.

But “It’s still early.”

The silver lining to this ‘cry wolf’ piece is that here have been some very good, almost alienlike individual accomplishment in the early goings. Tops on the list are the team-leading six home runs and team-leading 14 RBI by 32-year-old Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy.

A real head-scratcher is 32-year-old Dodgers utility infielder/outfielder Chris Taylor who, in his (thus far) 37 official at-bats in the 11 games in which he has appeared, has only five hits, for a paltry .135 batting average. But here’s the catch – of those five hits, four have been home runs – second most on the team to only Muncy’s six and tied with Dodgers outfielder Trayce Thompson, who also has four. That said, CT3 has also struck out in 16 of those (thus far) 37 official at-bats – a real head-scratcher if ever there were one.

But the biggest head scratcher is that although Dodgers pitchers – starters and relievers – have allowed a combined 67 runs and 137 hits with a combined 4.18 ERA through their first 16 games, the Dodgers offense, again, considered to be among the very best in the game today, have scored a total of 85 runs and have a total of 120 hits for that aforementioned inexplicable and inexcusable .231 team batting average.

“I just feel like we haven’t got going. When we pitch, we don’t hit, and when we hit, we don’t pitch,” said Dodgers perennial All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman after Sunday’s loss.

But even Freeman, who is near the top of that ‘best hitters in the MLB’ list with his remarkable career .298 batting average over his 14 MLB seasons and who is currently leading the Dodgers with his (thus far) .302 batting average, went 1-for-5 on Sunday, with four strikeouts. It was his first four-strikeout game since becoming a Dodger.

But as you would expect from a guy destined for Cooperstown, Freeman was quick to put his personal struggles on Sunday behind him.

“I will come in tomorrow with the same routine and expect better results.” Freeman told reporters postgame.

Afterall, “It’s still early.”

…until it isn’t.

Play Ball!

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