Dave Roberts says struggling Dodgers need to improve offense, defense - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called out his struggling club after a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday cost Los Angeles a significant tiebreaker in the race for home-field advantage.

«I say this because it's just been four or five, six weeks of below-average production in our offense. It's just the truth, and I think we just haven't played clean baseball for quite some time, and that speaks to the defense,» Roberts said.

The Dodgers lost three of four in the key series against the Brewers, who are three games ahead of Los Angeles in the chase for the National League's best record and hold the head-to-head advantage for postseason seeding if the teams end up in a two-way deadlock.

Los Angeles is 5-11 in its past 16 games, having been swept by the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs and losing series to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Brewers in that span. Since July 1, the back-to-back World Series champions are 18-21.

Their issues putting together effective at-bats were evident in the final two games against the Brewers, totaling three runs on 11 hits and three walks.

«It's been a long time since we've been consistent offensively,» Roberts said. «For me, it's winning a 2-1 pitch and not chasing. Winning a 3-2 pitch, taking the walk. Not chasing the first pitch to then be 0-1. I see our guys, we're chasing off in, chasing away, and I just don't see the consistent plan of attack, 1 through 9.»

Even Shohei Ohtani, the centerpiece of the Dodgers' big spending and bigger winning, was not immune. He grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners on first and third in the seventh.

«I think that urgency of every single pitch is important. I don't think we have that intent, and some guys are scuffling at