The Los Angeles Dodgers walked into the All-Star break with the best record in baseball. But they walked off the field Saturday with a sour taste and a series sweep courtesy of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The final 5-3 loss at Chase Field capped a rough three-game stretch that had the Dodgers looking like a team already on vacation.
Outfielder Kyle Tucker, who was brought to L.A. last winter to help with precisely these kinds of games, struck out looking in the ninth inning with a runner on. He finished 1-for-3 with a walk. Not terrible. But not the kind of impact a four-time All-Star is supposed to have.
“In this series, (I) barreled up some balls that didn’t go for a knock. Lined out up the middle yesterday, flew out to the wall. Flew out again today,” Tucker said, per SportsNet LA. “Hit the ball well, just didn’t get down for a hit today.”
Tucker is telling the truth — his expected batting average based on exit velocity and launch angle is higher than his actual average. But baseball doesn’t award points for process. It awards points for runs. And the Dodgers managed just eight runs total in Arizona across three games.
A first half that didn’t go as planned
Tucker did not make the 2026 All-Star Game, which probably stings a guy who’d made four straight before this year. He went into the break hitting .244/.341/.375 with seven homers and 42 RBIs. For a player who slugged 22 homers and helped the Chicago Cubs reach the NLDS just a season ago, those numbers are a step back.
But Tucker isn’t the only Dodger who looked flat in Phoenix. The pitching staff — normally a strength — gave up 18 runs across three games. The defense made uncharacteristic errors. The whole operation felt like a team that had already mentally checked out for the three-day break.
Nobody is panicking. The Dodgers are still 56-35 and own a comfortable lead in the NL West. But the division is tighter than it looks. The Diamondbacks just proved they can hang with L.A. The Padres are lurking. The Giants, while inconsistent, have enough pitching to make a run.
What comes next
The Dodgers return to action July 17 against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. That series should give a better indication of whether this Arizona sweep was just a pre-break clunker or something more troubling.
Tucker, for his part, is banking on the reset.
“I think the second half is going to be different,” he said. “Just need to get a couple days away, clear the head, come back and do what I can do.”
What he can do — based on his track record — is hit .270 with 25-plus homers and play solid defense. If he finds that version of himself, the Dodgers’ lineup goes from very good to terrifying. If he doesn’t, they’ll be leaning even harder on Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani to carry the load into October.
One thing is already clear: the All-Star break came at the right time for a team that looked like it needed a nap.
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