{"url":"https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2026-04-01/dodgers-drop-series-to-guardians-offense-struggles","title":"Dodgers drop series to Guardians on offensive chill","domain":"latimes.com","imageUrl":"https://images.pexels.com/photos/11901406/pexels-photo-11901406.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940","pexelsSearchTerm":"Dodgers Guardians baseball","category":"Sports","language":"en","slug":"97e77a8e","id":"97e77a8e-7c5e-4662-9af5-9b3e15ce7c39","description":"Dodgers lost two of three games to the Guardians, capped by a 4-1 defeat where they managed only five hits.","summary":"## TL;DR\n- Dodgers lost two of three games to the Guardians, capped by a 4-1 defeat where they managed only five hits.\n- Gavin Williams struck out 10 over seven scoreless innings; José Ramírez hit a two-run homer in the eighth.\n- Despite early offensive woes and a 4-2 record, pitching strength keeps Dodgers confident in a quick turnaround.\n\n## The story at a glance\nThe Dodgers dropped their first series of the season, losing 4-1 to the Cleveland Guardians in the finale at Dodger Stadium. Key figures included Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for LA, Gavin Williams dominating for Cleveland, and hitters like Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman struggling at the plate. This comes after the Dodgers swept their opening series against Arizona but managed just seven runs across the three games against Cleveland. Manager Dave Roberts and players point to an off day and upcoming road trip as remedies for the bats.\n\n## Key points\n- Dodgers held to five hits total in the 4-1 loss; Andy Pages went 3-for-3 with a key double, while the top of the lineup combined for little production.\n- Guardians scored twice in the third on errors and miscues: Daniel Schneemann doubled, stole third, scored on Will Smith's bad throw, then Gabriel Arias homered.\n- José Ramírez's two-run homer off Tanner Scott in the eighth made it 4-0; Freddie Freeman's 407-foot solo shot in the ninth avoided the shutout.\n- Historic series start for Dodgers with three straight Japanese pitchers: Roki Sasaki, Shohei Ohtani (Monday), and Yamamoto (six innings, two runs).\n- Ohtani went 0-for-3 with a walk and struck out on three pitches with runners in scoring position in the eighth; 3-for-18 on the season so far.\n- Dodgers struck out 44 times over six games, scored 23 runs (19th in MLB), but pitching staff allows just 17 runs with a 2.83 ERA (fourth-best).\n- Team falls behind 2-0 in five of six early games; now 4-2 overall, Guardians 4-3.\n\n## Details and context\nThe article, a column by Mirjam Swanson, centers on the Dodgers' lackluster offense as the reason for the series loss, despite strong pitching that kept games close. LA won the middle game 4-1 behind Ohtani's six shutout innings but lost the opener 4-2 and finale 4-1, scoring sparingly against Cleveland starters.\n\nEarly-season trends show Dodgers hitters in an \"in-between\" phase, per Roberts, with slow starts common—falling behind early five times in six games. Pages, the No. 8 hitter, leads the team at nine-for-21, highlighting stars like Ohtani (.167) and others scuffling.\n\nYamamoto lacked his usual command but still gave LA a chance, allowing two earned runs over six innings. An off day Thursday precedes a road trip to Washington and Toronto, sites of past success including last year's World Series win over the Blue Jays.\n\n## Key quotes\n- Freddie Freeman: “Our offense is inevitable... Hopefully, maybe tomorrow, with an off-day, the coldness will go away and we’ll heat up.”\n- Dave Roberts: “We’re pitching well... It’s obviously a very talented lineup, and right now, it just seems like a lot of guys are in-between... Despite struggling at the plate, the Dodgers are 4-2 to start the season, ‘so that’s a good thing’.”\n\n## Why it matters\nOffensive struggles test the Dodgers' depth early, even as their pitching carries them to a winning record. Fans and bettors see it as a small sample, but sustained issues could pressure stars like Ohtani and affect NL West positioning. Watch the road trip opener Friday for signs of offensive awakening, though small slumps are normal this time of year.[[1]](https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2026-04-01/dodgers-drop-series-to-guardians-offense-struggles)[[2]](https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401814775/guardians-dodgers)","hashtags":["#mlb","#dodgers","#guardians","#baseball","#offense","#pitching"],"sources":[{"url":"https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2026-04-01/dodgers-drop-series-to-guardians-offense-struggles","title":"Original article"},{"url":"https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401814775/guardians-dodgers","title":""}],"viewCount":3,"publishedAt":"2026-04-07T14:44:04.648Z"}