Taking a closer look at the Dodgers’ offensive slump

The Dodgers can’t score! They couldn’t sell General Manager Farhan Zaidi’s signed copy of Oasis’ “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” for a run. Hits have become as rare as a rainy day in L.A.

The Dodgers have gone 2-7 in their last nine games, averaging 2.9 runs per game -- and that includes the 10 they scored Sunday against the San Francisco Giants. For the first two months of the season, the Dodgers were an unexpected offensive machine. Now they’re a collection of broken parts.

The Dodgers have been held to two runs or fewer in 21 of their last 37 games. They look like a very different offensive team and the frustration only grows as the slump deepens.

How does this happen? How does a team go from leading the National League in most offensive categories to one that was shut out for 10 innings Tuesday?

Hey, it’s a team sport. And most everyone in the lineup not named Justin Turner has contributed to this offensive drought. Here’s a look at the normal starting lineup’s production the past nine games (average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, followed by homers and runs batted in:

Yasiel Puig | .194/.256/.366 | 0 | 2

Joc Pederson | .250/.400/.536 | 2 | 3

Adrian Gonzalez | .194/.243/.278 | 1 | 2

Howie Kendrick | .222/.243/.222 | 0 | 0

Yasmani Grandal | .269/.387/.615 | 3 | 4

Andre Ethier | .091/.167/.091 | 0 | 0

Jimmy Rollins | .280/.308/.360 | 0 | 0

That’ s right, it takes a village. The most expensive team in sports history is pretty much going through a lineup-wide slump. Kendrick, Ethier and Rollins have combined to drive in zero runs in this stretch, and Gonzalez -- still their most important hitter -- has driven in one and hit .205/.275/.313 in his last 22 games.

As the Dodgers keep saying, they’re too good a team to continue down this offensive path. But as the offensive struggles continue, they have allowed the rest of the National League West to close in on their lead.

For now, Manager Don Mattingly tries juggling the pieces -- Wednesday he has Enrique Hernandez playing second and leading off against the Cubs -- but the results seldom vary. Knowing that something similar happens to every team during the course of the season doesn’t make it any more palatable now.

Follow Steve Dilbeck on Twitter @SteveDilbeck