Bullet point summary by AI
- The Los Angeles Dodgers, fresh off two World Series titles, are struggling to maintain composure after an early-season loss to a division rival.
- A key player from the Dodgers hinted at suspicious activity from the opposing team without providing concrete evidence or details.
- This reaction underscores the growing tension and perceived entitlement surrounding the team’s dominance and expectations this season.
You’d think that if any team were equipped to handle one early-season loss in an even-keeled manner, it’d be the Los Angeles Dodgers. They’re the two-time defending World Series champs, after all, and they’ve been a clear cut above the rest of the league so far in 2026; it’s not like one bad game out of 162 should have them ringing the alarm bells or doubting themselves.
And yet, despite the fact that Saturday’s loss to the Colorado Rockies was only their fifth in their first 20 games of the season, certain Dodgers simply could not accept such an indignity. Catcher Dalton Rushing, specifically, wanted everyone to know that there was no way Los Angeles could actually lose on the level. Or, rather, he wanted to passive-aggressively imply as much to reporters after the game.
“It’s a little fishy”
Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing couldn’t figure out how the Rockies were connecting on so many first-pitch swings
— Jomboy Media
“I think they had a good game plan as an opposing team, and maybe I pitched into their game plan,” Rushing said. “As far as calling pitches, I’m not 100-percent sure. I just, I think it’s odd some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there and they were only on the first pitch that was thrown. So it’s a little fishy.”
He neglected to clarify what, specifically, he found fishy about a Rockies lineup that entered the weekend with the second-highest swing rate in the league deciding to swing early and often, and I’m not sure what scheme that would even be evidence of in the first place. But it doesn’t matter, really; what we have here is a player who thinks losing — to Colorado, of all teams — is beneath him, and would rather come up with an excuse rather than responsibility.
Dodgers excuses after Rockies loss are just pathetic
Just ask his manager, Dave Roberts. When asked by reporters about Rushing’s comments, he was pretty blunt.
“I saw some bad breaking balls,” Roberts said, courtesy of Jack Harris, “so I don’t think there was anything fishy behind it.”
Which was, of course, the truth. Both starter Emmet Sheehan and reliever Will Klein caught entirely too much of the zone early in counts and paid the price for it at times, despite the fact that the Rockies are known for their aggression. And that aggression comes with vulnerabilities: It makes it much easier to attack Colorado’s lineup out of the strike zone, particularly with breaking stuff.
But the Dodgers didn’t follow through, either because Rushing wasn’t familiar with the scouting reports or because he and his pitchers failed to execute. And really, that’s baseball: It’s a frustrating, humbling game, and no matter how great you are, encountering failure along the way is inevitable.
Which is what makes Rushing’s response to this whole thing so rich. He’s in the midst of a breakout season at the plate, and he plays for a team with every institutional advantage that also happens to be a development and scouting powerhouse to boot. If anyone were born on third base, it’s the Dodgers, who are sure playing the sport on easy mode right now.
And yet, even given all of that, a loss to a lesser-than team is still so shocking that it literally doesn’t compute, that it can only be explained by some sort of unspecified malfeasance. It says something about something that the response here isn’t to take a look in the mirror, or even to just shrug it off and get ready for tomorrow, but to try and throw the literal Rockies under the bus absent any evidence. Just add it to the reasons why most people would love to see the Dodgers’ threepeat bid fall short, because if any team (not to mention fan base) needs a reality check, it’s this one.
