Best of The Ben Maller Show

In the middle of a brutal August slump, the Dodgers lost eight of their last nine games. Freddie Freeman, the team’s first baseman and one of its most reliable stars, stood in front of reporters and delivered what host Ben Maller calls “baseball’s version of thoughts and prayers”: don’t panic, it’s a long season, we’re a good team. Maller is not buying it. The episode is built around a single skeptical thesis: the Dodgers’ public posture of serene confidence during a genuine collapse is not reassurance—it’s hubris, and it deserves side-eye.

The Dodgers are not fine

Maller is careful to ground his argument in numbers, not just frustration. Since July 1, Mookie Betts—the $365 million cornerstone—has batted .200. Maller dubs it “the Mookie line,” a play on the Mendoza line for batting futility. Teoscar Hernández has hit .211 with four home runs since June 1. Andy Pages, who had an explosive start to the season, has managed only six home runs since the beginning of June. Rookie pitcher Justin Robleski, who looked like a revelation, has a 4.59 ERA over his last nine starts. Edwin Díaz, signed as a big free-agent reliever, returned from a three-month stint on the injured list for “loose bodies” surgery and has posted an 11.2 ERA since coming back.