Playing for a top-tier team in MLB always comes with intense pressure. Every move is scrutinized, and one error can define a season. For rookies, in particular, the margin for error is even thinner, and the spotlight can quickly turn unforgiving. Ben Casparius, the Dodgers rookie, has found it the hard way. After a critical misfield in a nail-biting 1-2 loss to the Cardinals, the backlash from Dodgers fans has been unrelenting.

While both losses against the Cardinals are majorly owed to the Dodgers’ offense, Casparius has been made a scapegoat. But rather than retreat, he has chosen to confront the situation head-on. That kind of resilience is surely needed to thrive in the unforgiving environment of a World Series contender.

“Those throws to first base are crucial and can’t really happen…You know our offense is better than that, and again it’s a close game like that… I thought I had a shot there again, didn’t make a great throw, and then Freddy had a really good effort at home, and ultimately should have held on to the ball,” Casparius said.

The 26-year-old is graceful enough to acknowledge his error. Yes, the throw he made to first base was a costly mistake.

It was in the eighth inning when the Cardinals’ shortstop Masyn Winn delivered a clutch play. With a sharp infield hit off Casparius, Winn seized the moment to sprint from second base. He took a significant lead as he rounded third. While Casparius managed to recover it quickly, instead of holding the ball with no real chance at a play, he forced a throw to first.

The throw was slightly off, and that mini-second was all Winn needed. Never breaking stride, he rounded third and dove headfirst into home, just ahead of Freddie Freeman’s rushed throw.

Well, while Casparius acknowledged his error, does that mean his error was the only reason for the Dodgers going down? Not really! It was the poor show by the Dodgers’ offense that drifted the game away.

The game didn’t see a single homer from the decorated Dodgers’ offense. The only run came from Shohei Ohtani, and the rest all went dry. Even with pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto excelling on the mound, he got no support from the offense.

So, while Casparius’ error surely played a part in the losing cause, it was more of the Dodgers’ offense that is to be blamed.

The Dodgers’ offensive woes continue 

Well, the only bright point from the Dodgers’ poor show against the Cardinals was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He delivered yet another brilliant outing on Saturday (9 SOs), but the offense couldn’t back him up.

For Yamamoto, it is not the first time that he has gotten no run support. Across his 13 starts, the Dodgers have managed just 21 total runs while he’s been on the mound! That’s some poor outing by the team.

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The fans erupted after the Dodgers scored 18 runs against the Yankees last Saturday. But the same team has scored only 20 runs over the last seven games. It’s a jaw-dropping downfall for a team that arrived in St. Louis leading MLB in runs and owning the league’s best average with runners in scoring position.

Both those marks have now taken a hit. The Dodgers have scored one or fewer runs in three of their last four games, and their average has plummeted to just .232 in June. Once potent and feared, the Dodgers’ offense lineup now finds itself searching for answers in a stretch that’s starting to expose their vulnerabilities.

If the ongoing series against the Cardinals is signaling something, it’s the concerning picture of a lineup that has some of the biggest names in the game. Ben Casparius’ fielding error, amid all this, is probably negligible.