The Dodgers were swept in three games by the Red Sox, with the final nail in the proverbial coffin being a 2-0 loss last 
night in Fenway. They now sit in third place in the NL West, behind the Padres and Giants As if that wasn’t bad enough, the schedule only gets more difficult: a Freeway Series rematch with the Angels (who swept them just over a week ago) in Anaheim.
After that, the Dodgers welcome the World Champion Yankees to Chavez Ravine for the first time since 2004. It will also be the first time that manager Joe Torre will face his former team since departing New York after the 2007 season.
And to top it all off, the Dodgers will then face their rivals, the now second-place Giants. a team whose pitchers have allowed opponents to hit a league-best .230 against them.
So what’s happened to the once-hot Dodgers?
First, their pitching, which was hot in May (with a 20-8 record) has cooled off (just 9-9 so far in June). Rookie John Ely, who was a nice shot in the arm in May, has now cooled off. He is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in June, and has allowed 6 home runs and 10 walks this month. This is up significantly from the no home runs and 6 walks he had allowed through May.
A second problem has been injuries. Chad Billingsley and Carlos Monasterios, two starters who helped the team during their hot stretch in May, are now both on the 15-day disabled list – the former with a groin strain and the latter with a blister on his finger. This has not helped an already-thin starting rotation.
Finally, the Dodgers bats have suddenly gone quiet. They have scored just eleven runs in their last four games, and batted just .194 (19-for-98) in the three games in Boston. RF Andre Ethier has also cooled off – since coming off the DL, he has hit only one home run. He is only batting .208 in June, lowering his overall batting average to .318 (down from .380 through May).
If the Dodgers can manage to stay above water for the rest of the month, things could get better. They face the last-place Diamondbacks the first weekend in July, and also meet up with the Giants and Padres later in the month. They are 18-5 against the NL West this season, which could help turn things around.
Re-printed with permission of the author.
Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’. Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.
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