After battling the Pittsburgh Pirates in a high-scoring shootout at PNC Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves in an all-too-familiar spot in Game 2 of the three-game series: swept.

That’s right, despite having a roster loaded up with expensive talent all over the place, the Dodgers simply couldn’t get any runs on board against one of the least-expensive teams in the league, stranding 11 base runners over the nine innings, including runners in scoring position in the second, third, and seventh innings.

What gives? How did the Dodgers go from a team that scored seven runs against one of the worst teams in baseball to a squad incapable of getting a single point on the board? Asked about the situation after the game, Freddie Freeman noted that, while the game of baseball is simple, executing at a high level is hard, which the Dodgers learned firsthand.

“We were feeling pretty good about our at-bats yesterday and the last few days, and obviously, we had the good at-bats getting on base today, we just did not get the hit today,” Freeman explained. “The game of baseball is hard; the concept is easy. You can hit the ball, catch the ball, get the hits when you need to. We obviously didn’t do that tonight, but we just got to move on to tomorrow.”

Freeman is right, the Dodgers didn’t get it together. After watching the San Diego Padres get swept by the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the day, Los Angeles failed to capitalize on an opening in the NL West and officially lost the series to one of the worst teams in baseball despite having World Series aspirations. Can the Dodgers figure it all out, finally plowing down lesser competition while exchanging body blows with fellow title contenders? While only time will tell, Freeman’s closing remarks are all too predictable, even if he doesn’t lay out a clear path to get there.

“We haven’t really put it together at all for a while now, so we need to start playing better.”

“Frustrating night… we need to start playing better.”

Freddie Freeman (1-3, BB) talks with the media after the #Dodgers drop their second straight game in Pittsburgh, losing to the Pirates 3-0. pic.twitter.com/oADO7dRS4D

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