The Los Angeles Dodgers picked up a much-needed 3–1 victory on Monday night at Dodger Stadium, but the way it unfolded highlighted an uncomfortable truth: this team is still searching for its stride.
Tyler Glasnow returned from a back scare with one of his best performances of the season, striking out 11 over seven no-hit innings. Blake Treinen followed with a spotless eighth before closer Tanner Scott gave up Colorado’s only hit of the night, a ninth-inning double, but held on to secure the win.
For all the dominance on the mound, the Dodgers’ bats remained muted. Los Angeles managed only four hits, scraping together just enough offense to escape. Freddie Freeman tied the game with an RBI double in the sixth, and Mookie Betts finally delivered the dagger in the seventh — a two-run single that put the Dodgers ahead for good.
Afterward, Betts didn’t celebrate his own moment. Instead, he turned the spotlight on what he views as the team’s biggest problem.
Mookie Betts Challenges Dodgers Offense, “Pull Our Weight”
Vote For Your Favorite Dodgers Duo: Ohtani – Yamamoto, Betts – Freeman, Hernandez – Hernandez
“The offense has to pull our weight. We did okay today but we have to be a lot better,” Betts told SportsNet LA’s Kirsten Watson.
It was a pointed message from a player still working his way through a frustrating season. Betts entered the game in the midst of one of the worst slumps of his career, hitting just .236/.308/.361 after a series of setbacks — from illness to a toe injury to his first full season at shortstop. More recently, he has pointed to a hand fracture suffered last year as a possible turning point in his struggles.
Even so, Betts’ seventh-inning single raised his average and perhaps provided a spark. The Dodgers will need it. Despite boasting one of baseball’s deepest rosters, they’ve stumbled too often against sub-.500 opponents. Monday’s win kept them a game ahead of the Padres in the NL West, but as Betts made clear, relying solely on pitching won’t be enough in October.
The message was unmistakable: if the Dodgers are going to defend their crown, the lineup has to start matching the arms.