The Miami Marlins marched into Dodger Stadium and took a three-game series from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night. Though their 20-11 record hardly has a reason for concern, their latest losses in low-scoring games point to offensive miscues. The unassisted double play Marlins’ Xavier Edwards pulled against them was a glaring one. And manager Dave Roberts did not hesitate to put his team’s hitters in the spot.
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“Some guys … I don’t think have a clear plan of what they’re trying to accomplish,” Roberts told The Athletic’s Katie Woo. “In another sense, guys are just kind of not where they want to be mechanically. It’s a combo.”
Both teams entered the series finale on Wednesday with a 1-1 record. Ultimately, it was the wild double play in the ninth that sealed the game, 3-2, in the Marlins’ favor.
The Dodgers finally got something going in the ninth inning. They loaded the bases with one out for Freddie Freeman. But instead of getting a big hit, he grounded into a double play to end the game. That play showed exactly how much this expensive lineup is struggling.
The final play was pure chaos.
Freeman’s hit off Cal Faucher’s sweeper went straight to second baseman Edwards. He caught the ball and chased an advancing Shohei Ohtani back to first. As the umpire signaled Ohtani out for leaving the baseline, Edwards rushed to touch first base first. His shoe barely grazed the bag as he stepped on first baseman Connor Norby’s foot to record the game-ending second out of the double play.
It was the first time that the Marlins won a series against the Dodgers since 2018. Over the three games, the defending World Series champions scored just eight runs total.
Roberts spoke about the lack of a clear strategy among hitters as they went 7-for-28 with runners in scoring position.
Dave Roberts on the Dodgers offense lately: "Some guys ... I don’t think have a clear plan of what they’re trying to accomplish. In another sense, guys are just kind of not where they want to be mechanically. It's a combo."
They had the bases loaded with one out, but Freddie Freeman bounces into an unorthodox unassisted double play, and the Dodgers lose to the Marlins, 3-2. That's a disappointing series loss for LA, esp offensively. They'll hope to get right this weekend in St. Louis. See you there.
Statistically, the Dodgers have the best hitting average (.273, tied with the Braves) and score the second-most runs per game (5.39). But those overall numbers hide the slow starts of several star hitters.
Kyle Tucker is hitting just .241, Teoscar Hernandez is at .235, and Freeman is down to .259. Regular quality at-bats from Max Muncy (.968 OPS) and Andy Pages (.884 OPS) alone cannot balance the offense.
Following the double-play, Freeman observed, “It’s just kind of up and down right now, just trying to feel for it and hopefully get one to fall.”
Freeman went 0-for-5 on Wednesday, dropping to .742 OPS.
Roberts kept expressing his disappointment with his team’s offense at the moment.
“I don’t think we’re collectively swinging the bats the way we were early,” the manager reportedly noted. “The last 10 days, it just hasn’t been synced up. We just haven’t got those hits when we needed [them].”
The Dodgers have lost five of their last ten games. LA finished Wednesday 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position. The decisive blow came in the eighth inning when Javier Sanoja dropped a popup single into shallow center field, scoring Xavier Edwards to give the Marlins a 3-2 lead.
In the last nine games, Freeman is hitting at .171, just 6 hits in 35 at-bats. And in the Marlins game, he recorded no hits in 5 at-bats. While Freeman’s struggles seem like the most critical, even Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Teoscar Hernández, and Will Smith have yet to regain their hitting form. In five of their last 9 game, LA scored three or fewer runs.
They played 12 straight games without any off days till Wednesday, and went 5-5 in their last 10 games. But now that the Boys in Blue will finally enjoy an off day on Thursday, the lineup will have a chance to recover and produce at Busch Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Meanwhile, with Ohtani in his first full season as a two-way player since 2023, manager Roberts wants to play it safe.
Dave Roberts wants to prioritize Shohei Ohtani’s health
Aside from the massive 10-year, $700 million contract he is on, Ohtani has been an elite-level DH and pitcher. He holds a career .955 OPS and a career 2.87 ERA.
In his first full season, both pitching and hitting since his second Tommy John surgery, Ohtani has been spectacular. Through five starts, he boasts an incredible 0.60 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP.
Ohtani took the mound on Tuesday night for the Dodgers but was missing from the lineup. It was the second time this had happened. And in his absence, the team made errors and struggled in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss against Miami.
The Dodgers had seven hits, three by catcher Will Smith. But two of them were misplays by Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez. After loading the bases in the first inning and coming up empty, LA didn’t get a runner into scoring position again until the eighth.
Alex Freeland started the rally with a single. And after Dalton Rushing — batting leadoff as the designated hitter in place of Ohtani — grounded into a fielder’s choice, Freddie Freeman and Smith sent back-to-back line-drive hits into right field to push across the Dodgers’ only run.
Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker popped up with runners on second and third, and Max Muncy grounded out.
Yet, Manager Roberts explained keeping Ohtani out as a way to preserve the player and start every game he can.
Imago
April 28, 2026, Los Angeles, California, United States: Shohei Ohtani 17of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Miami Marlins during their game at Dodger Stadium on April 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. . Los Angeles United States – ZUMAa60_ 20260428_zaf_a60_007 Copyright: xArmandoxArorizox
“His goal is to make every start, and so with that, there has to be some compromise and some openness to kind of read and react,” stated Roberts, per ESPN.
Ohtani took the loss against the Marlins on Tuesday, surrendering two runs on 5 hits, issuing 3 walks, and striking out 9.
“I’m always going to respect the decision regardless of whether I’m pitching or doing both,” Ohtani spoke about the latest development, per ESPN. “I also understand the importance of getting to the end of the season with everybody healthy. So talking with the training staff, talking with the team, I think it’s really important that the team makes the decision on what’s good for the team.”
For now, the Dodgers are just looking forward to the off day. After the bizarre defeat and manager Dave Roberts publicly throwing shade on his hitters, they need to regroup.
