Cardinals

ST. LOUIS — Andy Pages tapped the top of his helmet as plate umpire Chris Guccione wound up to punch him out, taking one final stab at extending the Dodgers’ scoring opportunity in the eighth inning.

The Busch Stadium scoreboard lit up with a graphic of the strike zone. The ball flew in, touching the top of the rectangle and turning it red. The call was confirmed. Strike three.

In a 7-2 loss to the Cardinals on Friday, that was one of six at-bats the Dodgers had with runners in scoring position. They didn’t record a hit in any of them.

Instead, the Dodgers (20-12) only scored on Max Muncy’s double with a runner on first in the second inning, and Kyle Tucker’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the sixth. It marked their third straight loss, scoring two or fewer runs in each.

“It’s been hard,” said left fielder Teoscar Hernández, who had a ground-ball single and a walk Friday. “Obviously, we don’t want to start the season the way we have started. But we have done a lot of work. Everybody knows this is not easy, hitting, being consistent. We just have to go up there trying to have good at-bats, create situations, put the ball in play, get on base.

“But I think we got unlucky. A lot of guys have been hitting the ball really good, right at people. But we control what we can control, and just leave the rest to baseball.”

Even amid a down stretch, the Dodgers still showed off their scoring power with a pair of 12-run performances in the last two weeks — even if one was at hitter-friendly Coors Field. And they entered Friday leading the majors with an .802 OPS. So all is not lost.

The top of the batting order, however, isn’t producing. Mookie Betts, who would be batting No. 3 in the order, has been out since early April with a strained right oblique.

Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker have had slow starts. Freddie Freeman has been in an offensive lull since taking over the No. 2 spot last week.

The Dodgers entered Friday with the top three spots in the batting order producing a .734 OPS, ranking 22nd in MLB.

The bottom half of the order, and Pages in particular, was carrying the offense early on. But when those hitters cooled, the top of the order didn’t fill the gap.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot more guys that are not swinging the bats well than that are,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And so shuffling the lineup, I just don’t think that’s a solution right now — outside of versus left versus right [pitching matchups].”

On Friday, the Dodgers scored fewer runs than the Cardinals scored in the first inning alone.

“They swung the bat better than we did,” Roberts said. “And we didn’t play well enough.”

Dodgers right-hander Emmet Sheehan’s start went south in one at-bat.

Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan delivers during the first inning Friday against the Cardinals.

(Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)

With two outs in the first inning and runners on first and second, Sheehan worked ahead to an 0-2 count against Nolan Gorman.

Dodgers catcher Will Smith then attempted a back-pick at second base, but his errant throw bounced to the opposite side of the base and past shortstop Miguel Rojas.

With runners at second and third, Sheehan did not declare he was going to switch to throwing from the stretch instead of the hybrid position. So, he was called for a balk, bringing the first run of the game across the plate.

“Mental mistake,” Sheehan said. “I know the rule. It was just in the moment, I didn’t declare it. And, yeah, unacceptable.”

Gorman battled Sheehan to a full count. Then Sheehan left a high fastball over the plate, and Gorman sent it into the right-field stands for a two-run blast.

Sheehan bounced back with a 1-2-3 second inning. But he surrendered a solo homer to slugger Alec Burleson in the third.

By the time Sheehan exited with two outs in the fifth inning, before Gorman was due up again, he’d given up a season-high eight hits.

“I feel like we’ve been making progress and then taking a step back,” Sheehan said. “And, yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. But we know we need to work on, it’s just fixing it now.”

The Cardinals (19-13) widened their lead in the seventh inning, putting together a three-run rally against reliever Edgardo Henriquez. And the Dodgers offense never threatened a comeback.

“We’re in a little funk offensively, which is certainly obvious,” Roberts said. “But you’ve just got to keep going. I believe in the guys, the hitting coaches do, the guys do. You’ve got to keep working and know that it will click one night and we all come together. But it’s not one at-bat. It’s not one particular hitter that is bringing the group down. We’ve all got to come together and expect things to change.”

ST. LOUIS — Enough was enough.

The Dodgers entered Sunday on a four-game losing streak, with a lack of offense undermining solid performances from the pitching staff. They were on the verge of being swept by the St. Louis Cardinals, after losing a series to the Miami Marlins in Los Angeles.

“When it gets to a certain point, we do a good job of kind of nipping it,” manager Dave Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 4-1 win. “And today is one of those days that … we’ve got to find a way to win a game. And whatever it takes, we’re all prepared to do that. And if you look at the track record, we’ve done well in moments like this.”

It took a second straight start of six scoreless innings from Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski, along with the bullpen holding St. Louis to one run.

That was enough to make the Dodgers’ offensive contributions count. Though it was far from an onslaught, the four runs were the most they scored in a game since Monday.

“Offensively we just haven’t been very good the last week,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after the game. “Just call a spade a spade sometimes. There’s no way to sugarcoat it. We just haven’t been very good, and we’ve got to be better.

“Luckily, Wrobo, our starting pitching has been amazing. They deserve a lot more than they’ve gotten over the last two weeks. So it’s on us to start scoring some more runs. We know we’ll be fine. I understand you guys gotta ask these questions, but no one’s worried in here. And good to get a win on a day game, salvage a series, and hopefully start a better streak [Monday] in Houston.”

The Dodgers (21-13) still dropped the series to the Cardinals (20-14) and are 7-9 over the last 2½ weeks. They’ve won only one of their last five series.

Offense lacking power

Hyeseong Kim follows through for an RBI single in the second inning for the Dodgers against the Cardinals on Sunday.

(Scott Kane / Associated Press)

The Dodgers extended their homerless streak to six games. Since April 21, they’ve hit only three home runs.

“Very surprised,” Roberts said. “And honestly, we haven’t really come close, either. So yeah, I’m surprised. It’s a team that, we can slug. I think a little bit is some of the passivity, the carefulness. And there’s going to be some swing-and-miss there, that’s just in a lot of our hitters, anyway. But what you don’t want is guys to be careful and cautious.”

The Dodgers on Sunday got an RBI double from Andy Pages and RBI singles from Freeman, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Call.

An illness swept through the clubhouse during the slump. But one of the hitters who was hit the hardest, third baseman Max Muncy, has continued to produce.

He went 10 for 17 with four home runs in Colorado. And even after cooling slightly, he entered Sunday with a team-best .937 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over the last 11 games, then had a hit and a walk and scored.

“There are times where he probably could have and should have had some days off in the middle of this,” Roberts said. “But he hasn’t. He’s had the one day off and then a half-game. But I’m really impressed with the way he’s persevered and got to the other side of it.”

Rotation battle heating up

Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski delivers against the St. Louis Cardinals in the sixth inning Sunday.

(Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)

After Emmet Sheehan battled mechanical problems and gave up four runs in 4⅔ innings Friday, and Roki Sasaki authored his first quality start of the season Saturday, Wrobleski upped the ante. On Sunday, he improved his earned-run average to 1.25 over six games.

Wrobleski’s first outing of the season was in long relief, when the Dodgers needed only five starters because of days off early in the schedule. He hasn’t give up more than one run in any of his five starts since and is 5-0. And after throwing five innings in his first start, he’s pitched through at least the sixth in every game.

“He’s got a good pace to him, puts the ball in play,” Roberts said. “And obviously he’d like to get some more swing-and-miss, but those guys are swinging the bats and hitting at guys, and a lot of soft contact. I just like the way the guys stay involved behind him. And every single time he takes the baseball, we have an opportunity to win a game, most importantly.”

Efficiency and pitching to contact are Wrobleski’s calling cards, and he took that to the extreme Sunday when he navigated six innings without a strikeout.

“I had a lot of two-strike counts and they kept putting it in play,” he said with a smile. “I was, ‘All right, I’ll take the out.’”

When the time comes to clear a spot in the rotation for rehabbing left-hander Blake Snell, the Dodgers’ decision won’t be based solely on results. But Wrobleski’s strong showing to begin the season, and versatility in multiple roles, has all but guaranteed him at least a spot on the roster for the foreseeable future.

Injury updates

Dodgers minor-league affiliates have hosted a rush of rehab outings recently.

On Saturday, reliever Brusdar Graterol (shoulder surgery) played his first game since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. Throwing an inning for triple-A Oklahoma City, he retired the side in just eight pitches, recording one strikeout.

“He hasn’t pitched a whole lot in the last two, three years, so his buildup needs to be methodical,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to him getting going.”

Snell (shoulder fatigue) threw four innings for Oklahoma City in his third rehab start Sunday, and Brock Stewart (shoulder surgery) faced three batters after pitching on back-to-back days last week.

ST. LOUIS — Time is running out for the pitchers at the back end of the Dodgers’ rotation to prove that they should stay once left-hander Blake Snell returns from the injured list.

Right-hander Roki Sasaki strengthened his case Saturday with a quality start, despite some hiccups, as the Dodgers fell 3-2 to the Cardinals, extending their losing streak to four games.

Sasaki not only recorded an out in the sixth inning for the first season, but finished the inning to tie the deepest start of his MLB career, as he limited the Cardinals to three runs and five hits.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Sasaki labored early. But despite issuing two walks and hitting a batter in the first two innings, he escaped both unscathed.

No such luck in the third. Sasaki gave up back-to-back doubles to Iván Herrera and Alec Burleson, and a home run to Jordan Walker — who’s been swinging the hottest bat of any hitter this series — for a quick three runs.

Sasaki rebounded to throw three perfect innings to finish his outing.

The Dodgers’ offense, however, didn’t score until the ninth inning. Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández hit back-to-back infield singles, testing Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn’s range to both sides.

Then Max Muncy shot an RBI single over the head of second baseman JJ Wetherholt. And Andy Pages drove in another run with a ground ball just past the glove of diving third baseman Ramón Urías. but their late rally stalled there.

The star-studded Dodgers lineup hasn’t scored more than two runs in a game since Monday.

Sasaki is one of three young pitchers at the back end of the rotation, along with right-hander Emmet Sheehan and left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who are competing for two spots once Snell returns.

Snell (left shoulder fatigue) is scheduled to make his third minor-league rehab start on Sunday for triple-A Oklahoma City. He’ll likely need at least a fourth before returning, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Sheehan gave up four runs in 4 2/3 innings Friday, his velocity wavering as his delivery fell out of sync.

Wrobleski is scheduled to start Sunday, as the Dodgers try to avoid a three-game sweep. He’s pitched the best out of all three pitchers, but his proven ability as a long reliever as well could actually work against him as the Dodgers decide how to free up a spot in the rotation.