When you look at the box score from Thursday night’s 3-1 Dodgers loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, arguably one of the most important game of the 2018 regular season, one thing immediately jumps out at you – every  Dodger in the lineup struck out at least once except for shortstop Manny Machado.

In fact, Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor, whose Player’s Weekend nickname should have been CTK instead of CT3, struck in each of his four at-bats on Thursday, to bring his National League-leading strikeout total to 158 – 27 more than the next nearest Dodger Cody Bellinger, who has been punched out 131 times but also has homered 21 times compared to Taylor’s 14. In the simplest of terms, Chris Taylor does not belong in the Dodgers lineup.

Oh sure, you can argue that the 28-year-old Virginia Beach, Virginia native and 2012 fifth-round draft pick by the Seattle Mariners out of the University of Virginia who the Dodgers acquire on June 19, 2016 in exchange for Dodgers former first-round right-hander Zach Lee (who is no longer in the game) was the hero during the pennant-winning 2017 season, or even that he still has a slash-line of .243 / .318 / .427 for an OPS of .745. But the brutally painful truth is that he is pretty much the Dodgers designated strike out whenever there are runners on base or the game is on the line.

As he so often does, one of Taylor’s four strikeouts on Thursday night came in the bottom of the fourth to end the inning with a runner in scoring position. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

“Chris, obviously he’s struck out more this year than he ever has,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters after the game. “There’s a combo of those guys making quality pitches, great pitches like the [Brad] Boxberger, but there’s other opportunities in that at-bat that you don’t put the ball in play.

“There’s also a little bit of a concerted effort to shorten up, you know, and to fight to put the ball in play,” added Roberts. “So, it’s a combo, but I know CT’s working through some mechanical things. But as far as his confidence, he’s very strong-minded, so I don’t think that I’m too concerned … I’m not too concerned about that.”

Or is he?

“He’s not going to be in there tomorrow against [Zack] Greinke, and he’s just going to continue to work, and tirelessly work,” Roberts said. “That’s what he’s done all year, and so it’s been an inconsistent year for him.

“Even talking to him, he hasn’t found his consistent stroke and comfort level, and that shows,” Roberts added. “But we still have almost 30 ballgames left and we’re going to continue to run him out there.”

…because, you know, 158 strikeouts isn’t nearly enough, when the MLB lead is 184 and your team is in third place in the division a full 2.0 games behind those same Diamondbacks with “…almost 30 ballgames left.”

Sorry, Doc (and Chris), but I’d prefer to take my chances with Bellinger and his .260 / .341 / .471 / .813 slash-line and 21 home runs as the Dodgers center fielder, when he isn’t playing first base, that is.

There is no kind way to say it, but Chris Taylor is an absolute liability to the team, regardless of how “tirelessly” he works.

As for Machado, all the 26-year-old Hialeah, Florida native has done since joining the team on June 18 is post a slash-line of .279 / .356 / .505 / .863 and slug nine home runs – this to go along with the 24 that he hit with the Orioles – to give him a season total of 33, more than any other Dodger.

Machado’s home run in the bottom of the sixth inning on Thursday night was his fifth in his last eight games. Unfortunately, and like most Dodgers home runs this season, three of those five were solo home runs, including the one on Thursday night.

Dodgers newcomer Manny Machado continues to be the team’s hottest hitter and the only Dodger who did not strikeout on Thursday night. He has also homered in five of his last eight games. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

Such was not the case for Dbacks left fielder, whose fifth-inning blast off of Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill came with two runners on base; thus the difference in the game.

“I made a poor decision on dropping down [my arm angle], I should have stayed over the top and it cost us the game,” Hill said after the game. “Also, giving up the hit to the pitcher frustrates me. Having that loss looms over us moving forward. These games are huge.”

Huge indeed.

Like many before him this season, Dodgers left-hander pitched well enough to win on Thursday night. Unfortunately, his teammates yet again failed to give enough run support to do so. (Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

The Dodgers will try to even the crucial four-game series at a game apiece on Friday night when they send fellow lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu to the mound opposite Dbacks ace Zack Greinke … no easy task.

The good news is that the Dodgers will be without their designated strike out Chris Taylor in their lineup … at least to begin the game.

After that? Who knows.

Stay tuned.