Dodgers offense again mere rumor as they lose sixth in a row, 6-1

Money can’t buy you love or, apparently, runs.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, the most expensive team in baseball history, cannot score. Cannot manufacture runs, unveil a power game, rally or do much of anything that actually leads to this strange phenomenon called scoring.

The Dodgers were handcuffed Saturday in the second game of their split doubleheader by Baltimore’s Wei-Yin Chin, who apparently was really dealing, in a 6-1 loss that left them with a six-game losing streak.

The Orioles swept the doubleheader by taking the afternoon game, 7-5, the Dodgers actually putting a few runs across and losing yet again. It was only the third time in their 17 games they have scored more than four runs in a game.

On the season, only the woeful Miami Marlins have scored fewer runs than the Dodgers.

The Dodgers (payroll north of $220 million) are averaging 2.76 runs a game. The Oakland Athletics (payroll $60 million) are averaging 5.8 runs a game, or easily more than twice as many as the Dodgers.

There is not much going right for the Dodgers offensively. And it’s not their Boston connection that’s failing. Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and even Nick Punto are about the only ones doing well on offense.

Matt Kemp looks confused, Andre Ethier (who did hit a three-run homer in the opener) mediocre, Luis “King of Pop-up” Cruz absolutely lost, and most everyone else not named Ellis is hitting around .200.

The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead on Chin in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Gonzalez, and that was it. The Dodgers managed six hits against Chin and Tommy Hunter, all singles. Hunter earned a three-inning save.

Meanwhile, Josh Beckett was doing his Joe Blanton imitation, giving up two more home runs. He gave up a tying solo homer to Chris Davis in the second inning and a three-run homer to Manny Machado in the sixth.

Beckett pitched fairly well otherwise, but he’s now given up six home runs in the 25 innings of his four starts. And when your offense is struggling, that’s a bad formula for winning.

The Dodgers can hope it’s just one of those streaks that seems magnified because it’s coming at the beginning of the season. Sometimes, though, hope comes before early panic.