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 poses much 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. Following the Marlins series loss, manager Dave Roberts did not hesitate to put his team’s hitters in the spot.

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. Afterward, manager Dave Roberts addressed the offensive slump with The Athletic’s Katie Woo.

“Some guys … I don’t think have a clear plan of what they’re trying to accomplish,” Roberts told Woo. “In another sense, guys are just kind of not where they want to be mechanically. It’s a combo.”

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 in the process 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.

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 also expressed 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. They played 12 straight games without any off days till Wednesday. They will enjoy an off day on Thursday, giving the lineup a chance to recover as well.

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

Shohei Ohtani is an asset the Dodgers cannot afford to mishandle. 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 as a hitter and a career 2.87 ERA as a pitcher.

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 in the current season. Manager Roberts explained it as a way to preserve the player and start every game he can.

“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’s 2-1 game, as he surrendered two runs on 5 hits, issuing 3 walks and striking out 9.

“I’m always going to respect the decision regardless 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.