RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesDodgers hitters have a huge fastball problem amid recent struggles originally appeared on The Sporting News .
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The Los Angeles Dodgers have not played well since the MLB trade deadline. They've lost multiple series in a row and have even lost seven straight games before snapping the losing streak with a win, followed immediately by another loss.
With how bad things are going, there's bound to be a few issues coming up for this club that can explain why they've struggled. While there are a few reasons for the losing ways lately, including the bullpen, one of the top issues is the offense.
Specifically, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya , the Dodgers hitters have a massive problem with hitting fastballs.
Dodgers' hitters have a major fastball problem
"Opposing pitching staffs have appeared to find a hole," Ardaya writes. "Since July 1, no team in baseball has seen a higher percentage of fastballs than the Dodgers (58.7 percent). The Dodgers have produced a .693 OPS against those pitches in that span, including the fourth-worst on-base percentage (.310) and fifth-worst slugging percentage (.383) in those spots."
This issue for the Dodgers is a very concerning one. If pitchers can beat this stacked Dodgers lineup by using the fastball, then life will be a lot easier for opposing pitching staffs.
Now, there is still time to fix this issue for the postseason, but if the Dodgers somehow cannot improve their offense against fastballs, there's going to be a major problem in the postseason.
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Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers would be a perfect match for the Dodgers' lineup. Philadelphia Phillies starters Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, and Cristopher Sanchez would also make life hard if the Dodgers can't hit the fastball.
For how good this lineup is, the Dodgers should not be struggling this much as a team. Offensively, Shohei Ohtani , Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy, and the rest of the lineup should be more than good enough to field an elite offense.
However, they've been struggling lately, especially against a pitch as simple as a fastball. This is a real issue to resolve, and it's one of many problems plaguing the Dodgers as the season rolls along.
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