The reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a historic blow at the hands of the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night.
The Cubs handed the Dodgers their worst home shutout loss in franchise history—and their first home defeat of the season—with a dominant 16-0 win. Chicago erupted for 14 runs on 15 hits over the final three innings.
Facing a star-studded Dodgers roster that boasts the highest payroll in baseball, the Cubs tallied 21 hits, including nine for extra bases, in a statement performance, before closing out a series victory on Sunday Night Baseball.
Mookie Betts Gets Candid Over Dodgers’ Frustrating Performance
Following the Dodgers’ 2-1 series loss to the Cubs at home, star shortstop Mookie Betts was brutally honest about his team’s recent performance, “If we panic, things get worse. If we don’t panic, it looks like we don’t care. So what are we supposed to do?”
Mookie Betts: “I think it's just a bumpy two weeks. We got a long time, we got a long season to go and a lot can happen. This isn't the first time we sucked for two weeks, it just happens that it's right now. If we panic, things get worse. If we don't panic, it looks like we…
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) April 14, 2025
Betts brushed off the Dodgers’ recent slump, calling it “just a bumpy two weeks.” He emphasized the length of the season and the team’s ability to bounce back. “We’ve got a long time and a lot can happen,” Betts said. “This isn’t the first time the Dodgers have struggled for a couple of weeks.”
The rough stretch included their first loss to the Phillies this season, a series defeat to the Nationals, and a lopsided home loss to the Cubs.
Betts also made headlines last week when the team visited the White House to celebrate their World Series title. Though he won his second championship in October, it was Betts’ first time attending a White House ceremony—this one hosted by President Donald Trump.
In 2018, Betts was named American League MVP and won a title with the Boston Red Sox, but he declined to attend the team’s White House visit in 2019. On Friday, he reflected on that decision, saying he now regrets it—not because he changed his views, but because the focus shifted away from his teammates.
When asked why he didn’t go in 2019, Betts stated, “I made it about me. This is not about me.”
“It’s not a political stance that I’m taking,” Betts said. “I know no matter what I say, what I do, people are going to take it as political, but that’s definitely not what it is. This is about an accomplishment that the Dodgers were able to accomplish last year.”
Time will tell if the Dodgers can recover from these bad performances and show the world why they are the reigning champions.