Starts with no legitimate power hitter because of Green's season long slump. Pitchers can nibble on corners to every hitter. If somebody walks, no one will move him across the plate anyway. Big innings become almost non-existent. Hitting slumps can be contagious as each player begins to feel undue pressure to produce. Bring in somebody new and you bring him into a pressure cooker where he must produce right now.
As the team slump continues it provides a huge psychological boost to opponent pitchers who begin to feel great positive expectations when facing this club. With each shutout or one run game this cycle just intensifies.
An individual slump, as one becomes mired in one, becomes an increasingly psychological burden which leads to mechanical breakdowns. Fortunately there is usually enough strength in a line up to pick up the individual [ie. Soriano and Yankees being a prime example] until he hits or sits his way out. In this case however, there is not. Eventually there comes the inevitable clubhouse rift between pichers and position players which further erodes team chemistry and confidence. Media and fans intensify the pressure. Even the Tigers were not quite as bad as what we saw in April and May.
These Dodger hitters, though assuredly not the best around, are individually BETTER than what they are producing as a whole right now.
"Ninety percent of this game is half mental"
, What`s the reason this team can`t score? 
