Considering the star-studded lineup, the Dodgers were expected to lead the division, and they are doing that with a 22-14 record. But what was not expected was their offensive struggles. In the last series against the Cardinals, the Dodgers scored just 8 runs in 3 games. They are currently ranked 4th in hitting home runs (47).

While this doesn’t mean that their entire lineup is faltering, manager Dave Roberts identified the loophole in the Dodgers’ offense.

“I see that we don’t hit the fastball. It’s just a fact that teams in baseball that are offensive hit the fastball,” Roberts said. “When you’re passive, you’re late on the fastball. You’re not scaring pitchers out of the hitting zone. As opposed to being aggressive and scaring them out of the hitting zone. And that starts by getting on the fastball.”

While Roberts talked about their recent games, the Dodgers’ struggle against the fastballs goes beyond that.

For example, during the 2025 World Series, Mookie Betts showed significant struggles in connecting with pitchers’ offerings, with a high percentage of his batted balls resulting in pop-ups or groundouts, often failing to catch up to high-velocity fastballs. It’s worse for Shohei Ohtani. Last April, he showed vulnerability to high-velocity, high-and-inside fastballs. In one instance, he chased a 2-and-0 fastball in that zone for a soft pop-out.

Despite having a lineup with names like Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, and Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodgers are not looking scary enough. Entering Wednesday, Ohtani was 0-for-17 over his last five games. Moreover, he saw his batting average drop 38 points from .278 to .240 over those five games. And since 2022, Ohtani has gone hitless in five consecutive games.

Last month, the Dodgers lost a game against the Marlins by 1-2. Their entire lineup faltered that day, but the most evident part was their struggle against the fastballs. In that game, the Dodgers faced 37 fastballs. Thirty of them were strikes. And of those 30 fastballs, the Dodgers managed only three hits. That comes out to a .100 batting average on those pitches.

So, for Roberts, it’s better late than never. More than 120 games are still left this season, and if acted on now, the Dodgers’ struggle against the fastballs could be contained. What the Dodgers are currently facing is not a slump but a pattern. A team can get out of a slump, but if the pattern keeps on building, it will not be long before any other rivals will start throwing more fastballs to the Dodgers.

The Dodgers’ pitching is going opposite

While the Dodgers’ offense is facing an uneasy pattern, their pitching is showing dominance. Currently, they are ranked 2nd in terms of ERA (3.19) and 1st in terms of WHIP (1.11). Shohei Ohtani is the best example of this.

Ohtani is struggling at the plate. He is hitting .240 with six home runs. On the other hand, he is as dominant as he could be at the mound with an ERA of 0.97 over 37 innings. But the talk of the town is Juston Wrobleski. The 25-year-old is putting on a great show at the mound. Against the Cardinals, he delivered 6 innings, 6 hits, 1 walk, and no runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4-1 victory.

Currently, Wrobleski is leading NL in terms of ERA (1.25). His filthy four-seam fastballs remind shots of Clayton Kershaw. So, amid the Dodgers’ struggle to hit fastballs, they are doing well in throwing them. But Tyler Glasnow’s injury could be a dealbreaker.

Glasnow was scheduled to start on Wednesday, but after a few warm-up pitches, he was seen visiting with Roberts, and he walked off the field. Glasnow was later confirmed to have lower back pain reemerge for him. For the unversed, in 2024, he spent nearly three weeks on the injured list with similar problems. Glasnow was doing well this year with a 2.72 ERA, and Roberts thinks “It shouldn’t be too long.”

The Padres are just 1 game behind the Dodgers in the division, and one more loss means losing the podium. Roberts knows that, and hence he is more focused on correcting their struggles against the fastballs. Hopefully, the clubhouse will take his wake-up call.