Dodger Stadium has been the home run haven of MLB this season. It has been a launchpad where the ball has traveled far and long. But Saturday night painted a different picture altogether. In what was expected to be another power-packed display by the home team, the Dodgers found themselves outslugged in their own ballpark. The Nationals and the Dodgers combined for eight home runs, yet only three came off the home team’s bat.
What unfolded wasn’t just a rare home defeat for the Dodgers, but it was also a full-blown pitching meltdown. The Dodgers’ arms had no answers, and the result was a sobering loss in the second game of the series.
After the game, veteran slugger Freddie Freeman didn’t sugarcoat the situation. In a brutally honest postgame assessment, he acknowledged the cracks that are starting to show in the team’s performance. “I’ve been frustrated about 6 weeks now, so I mean it’ll click at some point, just keep grinding that long,” Freeman said to SportsNet LA.
“Swing is still in Arizona I think.”
Freddie Freeman (0-4, 2 K) chats with the media after the #Dodgers lose to the Nationals 7-3 in Game 2 of the 3-game set. pic.twitter.com/v1jixTGtvj
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) June 22, 2025
Currently hitting .322 and 9 HRs, Freeman is far from his prime. In the losing game against the Nationals, he went 0-2 with 2 SOs. The 35-year-old has fallen from the top of the NL’s batting average rankings, going just 5-for-33 in his last nine games. During that stretch, he hasn’t recorded a single extra-base hit or RBI.
“I can speak for myself, I haven’t been very good for a while, so just trying to figure it out did the net drill many times the last few days, but still not clicking,” he further added.
Freeman is graceful enough to acknowledge his slump. But what about the Dodgers’ pitching?
Well, Dustin May gave up three solo shots in a 7-3 loss to the Nationals. What’s worse is the game saw both teams launch a total of eight homers, the most in any Dodgers game this season. There’s more.
The Dodgers have now given up 12 runs in just the first two games of the series against the Nationals. Now that’s against a lineup that ranks near the bottom in the National League in terms of scoring. So, when will things improve?
Injuries have made it difficult for the Dodgers
The Dodgers’ elite pitchers are on the IL. Remember their projected starting rotation during spring training? It comprised Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. It was a force to reckon with. Fast forward to the present – Snell, Glasnow, and Sasaki are sidelined with injuries, while Kershaw is struggling to find consistency. But, the story doesn’t end here.
Tony Gonsolin is another big loss for the rotation. He’s out for the entire 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, leaving a significant hole in the Dodgers’ pitching depth. So, what’s left? Dustin May!
Even he is struggling with both performance and durability in his return. Though he’s back on the mound, he hasn’t returned to his full potential. Now, with all these injury setbacks, the Dodgers’ bullpen has been under pressure. While Freeman is not sure when the pitching will bear fruit for the Dodgers, the trading window might be interesting.
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