The closer is no longer inevitable. The ace walked the park in his last start. The lineup lacks continuity and consistency. The bullpen behaves like butane.
Through 27 games, the 2018 edition of the Los Angeles Dodgers have offered more headaches than post-game handshakes, more defeats than victories. They reside closer to the basement of the National League West than the summit. Their play has wearied manager Dave Roberts. He has seen pitchers combust and hitters fail without protest. He lost a game this weekend when a reliever fell off the mound. He understands reinforcements are not coming.