LOS ANGELES — After the Dodgers dropped two of three in Washington earlier this week, Kike’ Hernandez tried to put it in perspective.
“At some point, we were going to play (bad) baseball, and it just seemed like this was the week to do that,” Hernandez said.
The week hasn’t ended yet.
Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two of the Chicago Cubs’ three home runs as they beat the Dodgers 4-2 Sunday afternoon, taking two of three in the weekend series.
The Dodgers have now lost three consecutive series, dropping two of three in Philadelphia and Washington on the road before returning home to face the Cubs. It’s the first time the Dodgers have lost three consecutive series since they dropped two of three each to the San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals and New York Mets last April 12-21.
Since their 8-0 start to the season (the best ever by a defending World Series champion), the Dodgers have gone 3-6.
Pitching, defense and baserunning have all been suspect at times during this slump – yes, it qualifies as one. The offense deserted them this weekend. The Cubs held the Dodgers to five runs and a .200 average (19 for 95) for the weekend.
Tommy Edman’s three-run home run in the sixth inning was enough to claim a victory Friday night. But the Dodgers didn’t score again until the second inning Sunday when Hernandez got his first hit of the season that wasn’t a home run – an RBI single.
Crow-Armstrong matched that with his first home run of the game in the top of the third.
Rebounding from a poor outing in Philadelphia, where he let the wet weather get to him, Tyler Glasnow retired the first six Cubs in order before leaving a fastball up to Crow-Armstrong. He launched a high fly ball down the right-field line that collided with the foul pole for a solo home run.
After a walk and a wild pitch put a runner on second with one out, Edman saved Glasnow from further damage by charging in and making a diving catch in center field of Ian Happ’s sinking line drive.
By the sixth inning, the shadows that came with the 4 p.m. start had moved across to cover most of the infield, and former Dodgers prospect Michael Busch ended a nine-pitch at-bat by launching a Glasnow slider into the Cubs’ bullpen for a solo home run that broke the 1-1 tie.
It was Busch’s second home run of the weekend and fourth in 11 games against the team that drafted him in the first round in 2019. Busch struck out three times Friday but went 6 for 10 in the Cubs’ two wins and has batted .326 (14 for 43) with six doubles, four home runs, 11 runs scored and 12 driven in against the Dodgers, making the trade sting a little even though the Dodgers had nowhere to play Busch at the big-league level and now have two of the top 100 prospects in baseball (outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitcher Jackson Ferris) via that swap.
The Dodgers tied the score again in the bottom of the sixth when Michael Conforto led off with a single, went to third on a double by Will Smith and scored on Max Muncy’s sacrifice fly. Smith was stranded at third base, though, as Kike’ Hernandez lined out to third and Miguel Rojas to center field.
Crow-Armstrong grabbed the lead back for the Cubs with another solo home run off Blake Treinen in the seventh. Alex Vesia couldn’t hold the line in the eighth, allowing an insurance run.
