2 Dodgers most to blame for recent inconsistency

No player has done more to torch the Dodgers’ margin for error than closer Edwin Diaz. Acquired to lock down the ninth inning, Diaz has instead turned save situations into an adventure, blowing three saves in his last four outings and four overall since returning from elbow surgery on July 29. Since that return, Diaz has allowed eight runs in just 5 2/3 innings for a staggering 12.71 ERA, striking out eight but also walking three and surrendering 12 hits in that span.

The damage has piled up in the most crucial moments possible. Diaz blew back-to-back saves against Arizona on August 7 and August 8, then blew another against Milwaukee on August 13, pushing his season ERA above 11.00. He himself pointed to inconsistent command as the root issue, explaining after the Milwaukee meltdown that missing his fastball location in the middle of the plate cost him. For a $69 million investment brought in specifically to stabilize the back end of the bullpen, Diaz has instead become the single biggest symbol of the Dodgers’ second-half unraveling.

Max Muncy’s worst month of the season

Max Muncy has long been the Dodgers’ “metronome,” the steady, professional hitter who could be relied on to grind out quality at-bats even when others slumped. That reliability disappeared in August, as Muncy posted a .722 OPS entering a recent Sunday game, by far his worst month of the 2026 season. Muncy has been brutalized by fastballs of late, batting under .200 against them since the start of July, a trend that has sapped the middle of the Dodgers’ order of its usual thump.

Muncy’s struggles compound with the Dodgers’ relief corps has had a 4.95 ERA since the slide began, the fifth-worst mark in the majors over that stretch, meaning there is little cushion for an offense that isn’t hitting. Even amid a memorable personal moment, becoming Dodger Stadium’s all-time home run leader, Muncy’s overall body of work in August has still left the middle of the order dangerously thin.

Los Angeles has not been shy about acknowledging the slump is a team-wide issue rather than the fault of any single player, with starting pitching, injuries, and inconsistent execution across the roster all playing supporting roles. Still, the statistical evidence points clearly to Diaz’s blown saves and Muncy’s worst month of the year as the three most direct, individually traceable causes of a slide that has dropped the Dodgers’ August winning percentage to just .125. Until those three players find their form again, Los Angeles will remain vulnerable to the kind of late-inning collapses and offensive droughts that have defined its recent stretch.