LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a rut, and their manager is placing his faith in the man who has carried them through so many storms before. Dave Roberts acknowledged Thursday night that his team’s offense is “scuffling,” but he made it clear he has no intention of moving Shohei Ohtani out of his prominent spot in the lineup, despite the superstar’s recent struggles at the plate.

The Dodgers fell in a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the Chicago Cubs, a game that saw their pitching staff unravel in the late innings and their bats go silent after an early burst. The defeat was the latest in a troubling trend for Los Angeles, who have seen their once-potent offense sputter over the past week. “We’re scuffling,” Roberts said bluntly after the game. “If you look at the last week collectively, as far as creating opportunities to score, we’re just not getting that consistency from a lot of guys.”

The game began with promise. Will Smith launched a massive home run to give the Dodgers an early lead, and the team built a 4-0 advantage by the fourth inning. But the offense stalled from there, failing to tack on any insurance runs against a Cubs defense that Roberts praised as elite. “Those guys are going to catch the baseball,” he said. “They can really defend. For us, we made some great plays, but you’ve got to do that against a team that’s playing well and swinging the bats well.”

The loss was particularly painful because of how it unfolded. Starting pitcher Emmett Sheen turned in a gritty performance, battling into the seventh inning on a high pitch count. Roberts lauded his effort, saying, “He did a great job. It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t get him a win. He pitched his tail off. He earned the right to go into the seventh inning. For me, I’ve got no complaints. It’s something we can build on.”

But the bullpen, a unit that has been a source of strength for much of the season, collapsed in the late innings. Roberts detailed the sequence of events that turned a 4-0 lead into a loss. “We got Kelly to pop up or fly out, and then we had two outs and a guy on first base with a four-nothing lead,” he explained. “Then Alex, he knows he’s got to get PCI. You can’t walk him. Then a couple hits, and we still got the lead. Then I liked Blake right there, but he left a slider up to Bregman, and it was a different ball game. Then you like Tanner there, and he gives up a hit to PCA and then gives up a homer to the nine hitter. That’s the difference in the ball game.”

The collapse was a stark reminder of the fragility of any lead in baseball, but Roberts refused to place the blame solely on his relievers. “Those are your three guys, right? That you probably wanted those spots,” he said. “We all got to do our parts, and tonight we just didn’t get it done.”

The loss also highlighted the ongoing offensive struggles of Ohtani, who has been mired in a slump that has seen his production dip significantly. The two-way phenom, who is in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a record-breaking contract, has not looked like his usual dominant self at the plate. Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani’s at-bats have lacked the “dangerous” quality that has defined his career. “I thought today he was more disciplined on taking some borderline pitches,” Roberts said. “But there were some other ones where they made good pitches on him. I thought today there was a better effort. Obviously, the results aren’t what we would hope for.”

When asked if he had considered dropping Ohtani in the lineup to take some pressure off, Roberts was emphatic in his response. “No, I think more of the former,” he said, referring to trusting Ohtani to work through his struggles. “I’m going to bet on him to continue to swing the bat well. And I think also you have to look at the alternative. Who else would you put up there? For me, it’s just going to keep betting on Shohei to figure some things out.”

The manager’s faith in Ohtani is not blind. It is rooted in the player’s track record of overcoming adversity and delivering in the biggest moments. But the Dodgers are in a precarious position. Their offense, which was supposed to be one of the most formidable in baseball, has been inconsistent. Key hitters have struggled to build innings, and the team has relied heavily on a few players to carry the load.

One of those players has been Hyeseong Kim, who Roberts singled out for his ability to get on base. “You can give Hyeseong a lot of credit because he’s doing his job as far as getting on base,” Roberts said. “Freeland in the nine is doing a great job of taking good at-bats. But team-wise, we’re just not clicking right now.”

The defensive side of the ball, however, has been a bright spot. Roberts highlighted a relay play from Andy to Hyeseong to Will as one of the best he has seen all year. “As far as difficulty and execution, that’s one of the better plays you’ll see all year,” he said. “You’ve got to do that against a team that’s playing well and swinging the bats well.”

The loss also raised questions about the bullpen’s depth, particularly with closer Edwin Diaz unavailable. Roberts acknowledged the “chain effect” of Diaz’s absence but refused to use it as an excuse. “I don’t concern myself too much about it because these are the guys we have,” he said. “They’ve pitched well, and they’ve got to go out there and continue to pitch well. I don’t spend too much time thinking about Edwin because he’s just not going to be with us for a while.”

Tanner Scott, one of the relievers who struggled in the game, has been a reliable arm for much of the season. Roberts noted that Scott’s slider was “east-west” and that Pete Crow-Armstrong “just blocked it and hit it hard for a base hit.” The home run to Dansby Swanson, however, was a different story. “I didn’t see where the heater was at on the Swanson homer,” Roberts said. “But yeah, he’s been really good for us all year. Just unfortunately, that came out tonight.”

The Dodgers now face the daunting task of turning things around quickly. The Cubs are playing well, and their defense is making every run count. Roberts knows that his team must find a way to generate offense, especially against a team that is catching everything in sight. “It does put a premium on runs,” he said. “Those guys are going to catch the baseball. They can really defend. For us, we made some great plays, but you’ve got to do that against a team that’s playing well.”

As the Dodgers look ahead, the focus will be on Ohtani. The superstar’s slump has been a major talking point, but Roberts is confident that he will snap out of it. “I think more of the former,” he reiterated. “I’m going to bet on him to continue to swing the bat well. And I think also you have to look at the alternative. Who else would you put up there? For me, it’s just going to keep betting on Shohei.”

The manager also had high praise for Roki Sasaki, the young pitcher who has been a spark plug for the team. Roberts was seen chatting with Sasaki during the game, discussing nuances about opposing hitters for the next night. “He’s a guy that it seems like every time he gets out there, he does something to help us win,” Roberts said. “Every single time he starts. Can’t give him any more praise. He’s always prepared, and he is a spark plug for us on both sides of the baseball.”

The Dodgers are in a difficult stretch, but Roberts remains optimistic. He pointed to Sheen’s performance as a building block and expressed confidence that the offense will find its rhythm. “The first few innings, the fastball was really good, the slider was really good, the swinging miss,” Roberts said of Sheen. “When you start getting more familiar with the pitcher, they start getting a little better information. But I did like the way that he was willing himself and was going to find himself into the seventh inning, which I applaud.”

For now, the Dodgers will have to rely on their stars to carry them through this rough patch. Ohtani is the key, and Roberts is betting on him to deliver. The question is whether the rest of the lineup can step up and provide the support he needs. The coming days will be critical for a team that has championship aspirations but is currently struggling to find its footing.

The loss to the Cubs was a painful reminder of how quickly things can change in baseball. The Dodgers had a 4-0 lead and were in control, but a few mistakes in the bullpen and a lack of clutch hitting turned the game around. Roberts knows that his team must find a way to close out games and build on leads. “We all got to do our parts,” he said. “Tonight, we just didn’t get it done.”

As the Dodgers prepare for their next game, the focus will be on getting the offense back on track. Ohtani will be at the center of that effort, and Roberts is confident that he will rise to the occasion. The manager’s trust in his superstar is unwavering, even as the team navigates a difficult stretch. For the Dodgers, the hope is that Ohtani’s slump is just a temporary setback and that the offense will soon click into gear.

The pressure is mounting, but Roberts is not panicking. He knows that baseball is a game of streaks and slumps, and he believes that his team has the talent to turn things around. “We’re scuffling,” he admitted. “But we’re going to keep betting on our guys. That’s all we can do.”

The Dodgers’ next game will be a test of their resilience. They face a Cubs team that is playing with confidence and a defense that is making every play. The Dodgers will need to find a way to generate runs and protect leads if they want to get back on track. For Roberts, the answer is simple: trust in his players, especially Ohtani, and keep fighting.

“We’ve got to do our parts,” he said. “And we will. It’s just a matter of time.”