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<\/div>\nLOS ANGELES \u2014 The Dodgers don\u2019t always rely on the three former MVPs at the top of their lineup.<\/p>\n
They have managed to win nine of their past 13 games despite modest contributions from that trio, players like Andy Pages and Will Smith stepping up in big ways.<\/p>\n
They could have used them Saturday night, though.<\/p>\n
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went a combined 1 for 12 with six strikeouts in a 7-3 loss to the Washington Nationals.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers\u2019 only runs in the loss were solo home runs by Pages, Smith and Teoscar Hernandez, continuing a breakout season for Pages and another All-Star season for Smith.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is tough, and they feel it, obviously,\u201d Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of trying to win with three slumping stars at the top of the lineup. \u201cWith their track record, their talent, they feel a responsibility to kind of get things going. Certainly, though, when you have nine guys in a lineup, it\u2019s not just on them.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut especially Freddie and Mookie, they\u2019re grinding right now, trying to figure out some things with their swings.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Ohtani was hitless in four at-bats, extending a 2-for-19 skid without an extra-base hit or a run scored in his past five games. Since being hit by a pitch for the first of two times during the San Diego series, he has struck out 10 times in 18 at-bats. He came up with runners on base twice Saturday and struck out both times.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last week, I think, yeah, he\u2019s been struggling a little bit, chasing a little bit more,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t think it\u2019s related to (his return to) pitching. But as we keep going with this process, he keeps pitching. We\u2019ll know more. But I don\u2019t know that answer right now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n After a heartening stretch from Betts following his return from a toe injury, he has slipped back into the doldrums \u2013 5 for 33 over his past nine games.<\/p>\n Freeman has slipped from the top of the National League\u2019s batting average leaderboard with his own 5-for-33 slump over his past nine games, with no extra-base hits and no RBIs in that stretch. He had the best chance of the trio to impact Saturday\u2019s game in the fifth inning. He came up with runners on first and second against Nationals starter Jake Irvin but struck out.<\/p>\n Irvin struck out seven in his 5\u2153 innings. Five of them were former MVPs.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t speak for anybody else, but can speak for myself. I haven\u2019t been very good for a while,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cJust trying to figure it out, did the net drill many, many times the last few days, but still not clicking.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Freeman said he\u2019s been frustrated with his swing for \u201csix weeks now. \u2026 The swing is still in Arizona, I think.\u201d He was referring to an early May series against the Diamondbacks. Since then, Freeman has hit .279 while dealing with his surgically repaired ankle and a quadriceps muscle injury more recently.<\/p>\n \u201cNo aches. No pains. The only pain is the swing,\u201d he said when asked.<\/em><\/p>\n It might not have mattered, given the way Dodgers pitchers gave up the longball on Saturday \u2013 2,035 feet worth in all.<\/p>\n Right-hander Dustin May continued his season-long trend of making just enough mistakes to color an otherwise positive outing. He pitched into at least the sixth inning for the eighth time in his 14 starts and gave up just five hits. Three of them were home runs, however.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, exactly,\u201d May said of that assessment. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I want to say I took a pitch off. But it\u2019s like one or two pitches every outing is really killing me.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n After retiring nine of the first 10 batters, he gave up a monstrous 451-foot blast to James Wood leading off the fourth inning and another solo home run to Luis Garcia Jr. on the next pitch.<\/p>\n Two innings later, Nathaniel Lowe got May for the first of his two home runs in the game. In between, Jack Dreyer gave up a two-run home run to C.J. Abrams, the first home run Dreyer has allowed in his major-league career (now 39\u2154 innings old).<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I thought it was a really good outing (from May),\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got no complaints. Obviously, he gave up a few solo homers. But I thought the efficiency of the pitching, the quality of pitches, the strike throwing, all that stuff, was great.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Teoscar Hernandez led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo home run. But the Dodgers finished with seven hits and little energy offensively, other than the solo homers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are days where you feel completely out of it. You don\u2019t feel comfortable at the plate,\u201d Pages said in Spanish. \u201cI think today was one of those days for the team. We always go out every day and try to give our best. But there are times where, for some reason, things don\u2019t happen. Just have to leave it at that, and tomorrow\u2019s another day.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u0455hohe\u0456 Ohtan\u0456, Mook\u0456e Bett\u0455 and Fredd\u0456e Freeman comb\u0456ne for ju\u0455t one h\u0456t \u0456n 12 at-bat\u0455, and the Dodger\u0455 dro\u0440 a 7-3 dec\u0456\u0455\u0456on de\u0455\u0440\u0456te h\u0456tt\u0456ng three \u0455olo home… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n