Dodgers' Journey From 'best Ever' To 'rock Bottom'

Los Angeles Dodgers v Boston Red Sox

Venue: Fenway Park, Boston Date: Sunday, 27 July First pitch: 18:35 BST

Coverage: Live sum connected BBC iPlayer, nan BBC Red Button and nan BBC Sport website and app, from 18:30

After winning past year's World Series, nan Los Angeles Dodgers picked up from wherever they near off.

They made a flying commencement to nan existent Major League Baseball season, becoming nan first defending champions to triumph their first 8 games.

It had galore saying this is nan champion MLB squad that has ever been assembled.

Three months later, nan Dodgers stay apical of their division, but they are struggling.

After Tuesday's conclusion to Minnesota, Dodgers head Dave Roberts was hopeless to extremity nan rot, saying: "It amended beryllium stone bottom."

Now his squad sojourn nan Boston Red Sox hoping to get their title defence backmost connected track, and you tin watch nan last crippled of their three-game bid unrecorded connected nan BBC.

Speaking to BBC Sport aft last year's title win, erstwhile World Series victor Chase Utley said that nan Dodgers' "entire line-up has nan expertise to deed a location tally and they play awesome defence. They're conscionable really bully astatine each aspects of nan game."

And successful nan off-season their roster sewage moreover better. After their starting pitcher rotation was deed by injuries past year, they brought successful Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to adhd greater spot successful depth.

They besides re-signed seasoned pitcher Clayton Kershaw and knew that astatine immoderate constituent Shohei Ohtani would beryllium capable to transportation again aft recovering from elbow surgery.

Ohtani is simply a 'unicorn' successful that he is simply a two-way player. The Japanese prima is nan first MLB subordinate to beryllium elite astatine some pitching and hitting astatine nan aforesaid time.

After joining nan Dodgers successful a woody worthy $700m (£558m), he could only deed successful his first season, yet still earned his 3rd Most Valuable Player grant arsenic they won nan World Series.

The Dodgers' violative line-up besides features 2 erstwhile MVPs successful Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who are portion of a nucleus of players connected semipermanent contracts.

And nan squad bolstered that halfway pinch Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez signing extensions.

It's a bully occupation nan Dodgers secured that pitching security for this play because their wounded woes returned, pinch 4 of their starting pitchers having had spells out.

That has meant they could not prolong that early-season shape and person had to usage their relieving pitchers - known arsenic nan bullpen - acold much than immoderate different MLB team.

That has taken its toll, pinch six relieving pitchers presently retired injured, and nan squad mostly struggling for shape - successful nan outfield, connected nan mound and astatine nan plate.

Betts has deed 3 location runs successful his past 49 games and Freeman 1 successful 61.

At nan commencement of this month, nan Dodgers mislaid 7 games successful a statement for nan first clip since September 2017. And since that 8-0 commencement to nan season, their grounds is 53-43.

Manager Dave Roberts said connected Tuesday: "It amended beryllium stone bottom, arsenic acold arsenic really we've been pitching, really we've been playing defence.

"I deliberation nan offence is benignant of starting to tick up, which is good. There's surely much successful there. But I deliberation arsenic acold arsenic value of baseball, it's been a reliable watch. It really has."

Ohtani's people continues to radiance done though. Only Seattle's Cal Raleigh (39) has deed much location runs than Ohtani (37) this season.

Ohtani homered successful 5 consecutive games complete nan past week, and successful 1 of those games he besides had 3 strikeouts arsenic a pitcher.

The 31-year-old's return to nan mound past month has provided nan Dodgers pinch immoderate relief.

So acold he has made six starts, pinch his innings gradually being increased, and successful his 3rd crippled back, Ohtani threw his fastest MLB transportation ever (101.7mph).

Ohtani is not scheduled to transportation again until Wednesday, pinch Dustin May group to beryllium nan Dodgers' starting pitcher for Sunday's crippled against Boston.

And location will beryllium a acquainted look connected nan Fenway Park mound.

Walker Buehler near nan Dodgers for nan Red Sox successful nan off-season and earlier nan commencement of their three-game bid connected Friday, immoderate of his erstwhile team-mates presented Buehler pinch his World Series ringing for past season's title triumph.

The Dodgers won Friday's crippled 5-2 to amended their grounds to 61-43 atop nan National League West division.

Boston are 55-50 and beryllium 3rd successful nan American League East, pinch Wilyer Abreu (20 location runs) their starring hitter.

After going into nan All-Star break connected a 10-game winning streak, nan Red Sox person won conscionable 2 of their 7 games since.

As it stands, they would extremity their three-year play-off absence, but they excessively request an upturn successful shape to beryllium judge of securing a wild-card spot.

BBC Sport will beryllium showing an MLB crippled unrecorded each Sunday evening until nan extremity of nan regular play connected 28 September.