The Los Angeles Dodgers’ depleted lineup struggled to make an impact against Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez, resulting in a 5-0 loss. With Freddie Freeman absent due to a family emergency, the Dodgers’ lineup has been severely weakened, missing key players like Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas, and Chris Taylor.
Valdez dominated the Dodgers, allowing just four hits and striking out 10 while taking a shutout into the seventh inning. The Dodgers’ hitters were unable to string together innings, striking out 15 times, including six in a row at one point.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the challenge of winning with a depleted lineup, saying, “Framber was good tonight, so you knew it was gonna be a tall order to try to put together innings and build innings.”
Gavin Stone, the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, had a tough outing, giving up nine hits, including two home runs, in six innings. Stone’s regression in July is a concern, as he has a 6.27 ERA in four starts this month, with batters hitting .369 against him.
Roberts pointed to Stone working from behind in the count more often and failing to land his changeup for strikes as factors in his struggles. Despite this, Roberts remains confident in Stone’s abilities, saying, “We’re going to continue to run him out there. He’s got to continue to grow and get better.”
The Dodgers’ loss highlights the difficulties of competing with a weakened lineup, but Roberts remains optimistic, saying, “You have the guys you have, and you have to believe they’re gonna find a way to scratch some runs across.”
