It’s tough to bag on the Dodgers when they are standing in first place in the NL West 4.0 games ahead of the second-place San Francisco Giants, 4.5 games ahead of the tied-for-third-place San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, and 10.5 games ahead of the last place Colorado Rockies. However, (come on – you knew a however was coming), Dave Roberts‘ team should be even further ahead of all four division rivals.

How so, you ask? It’s actually very simple and painfully obvious … and a decades-old culprit of our favorite team: LOB and RISP – the dreaded ‘Left On Base’ and ‘Runners In Scoring Position,’ which the Dodgers seem to excel at.

During their current nine-game road trip which has taken them through Washington DC, Toronto, and Arizona, the Dodgers have had double-digits in both LOB and RISP during several (most) of those games, including what should have been a win against the D-backs in Tuesday night’s bee-delayed game.

In that eventual 4-3 loss to the Snakes, Roberts’ team left a nine men on base and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position, including having the bases loaded with one out in the top of the fifth inning, which ended with international superstar Shohei Ohtani striking out swinging for the second out, followed by perenial All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman lining out to center for the third out, leaving the bases loaded.

“Offensively, I just thought we had our chances and umm… we just couldn’t capitalize,” Roberts said postgame – again.

The multimillion dollar question: How do you fix this?

Who knows?

But here’s a thought: How about a suicide squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and less than two outs instead of trying to hit a granny.

Just a thought.

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *