The Los Angeles Dodgers have not played the kind of baseball their fans are used to seeing in the first part of the season. They played perhaps their worst game of the season in a 13-0 Friday afternoon loss to the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Veteran Max Muncy did not hold back when analyzing his team's play in the blowout.
Asked Max Muncy how aware he was that the #Dodgers were being no-hit/perfect gamed for most of the day: "At one point I looked up and realized what was going on and I was, ‘Man we really stink today.’"
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 21, 2023
Max Muncy saw his team fall behind quickly and by a big margin. “At one point I looked up and realized what was going on and I was, ‘Man we really stink today.' ”
The loss dropped the Dodgers to 10-11 this season, and that's a far cry from the team that finished at 111-51 in winning the National League West in 2022. However, the veteran team is not likely to panic due to the slow start that has seen them fall 1.5 games behind the division-leading Arizona Diamondbacks.
While the Dodgers are floundering, the Cubs are exceeding expectations. Veteran left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly was perfect against the Dodgers through 7.0 innings before David Peralta squibbed a ground ball down the 3rd base line that neither Smyly nor catcher Yan Gomes could field cleanly. As a result, Peralta was able to break up the perfect game with that single in the top of the eighth inning.
Veteran Mookie Betts understands the Dodgers may not be playing their best baseball and that Smyly got the best of the Los Angeles lineup, but the situation is not a permanent problem.
“Today was his day, but tomorrow the sun will rise again and we'll see what happens.”
Mookie Betts on Drew Smyly: "He threw a lot of strikes and just pitched really well. You've got to tip your cap sometimes. He beat us. … Tomorrow is a new day. Today was his day, but tomorrow the sun will rise again, and we'll see what happens."
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) April 21, 2023