LOS ANGELES -- When looking at the overall body of work, the Dodgers still hold strong as one of the best teams in the Majors. They have the second-best record in the National League behind the Braves. Their offense grades out as one of the most potent in baseball.

But if Los Angeles is planning to play deep into the postseason, the starting rotation is one area on the roster that pretty obviously needs reinforcements and better production over the next two months.

Even after a 9-0 loss to the Reds on Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium to drop a second consecutive series, the Dodgers still finished July with a 13-10 record. Most of that success, however, was driven by the offense. The pitching staff -- especially the starters -- has been a mess since losing Clayton Kershaw to injury in late June.

Dodgers starters finished July with a combined 6.18 ERA. That’s the second-highest ERA in franchise history in any month with at least 15 games since earned runs became an official stat in 1912. It’s also the highest number since the team moved to Los Angeles.

“Yeah, overall, that’s a big number as far as ERA,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Not sustainable. Hopefully, come Tuesday, we’ll come out of the gates.”

In the series finale, it was Michael Grove who couldn’t build on some of his recent momentum. Grove got hit around early, allowing three runs in the first inning. The Reds didn’t stop there, as the right-hander allowed eight runs over six innings. With Lance Lynn joining the Dodgers’ rotation, Grove will likely head to the bullpen to serve as a multi-inning reliever.

“I think, in spurts, there were some good pitches today,” Grove said. “My slider was good, but my cutter wasn’t. I got punished because I was leaving pitches over the plate. I’m trying to take the good with the bad every time. Just got to get back to the drawing board.”

The Dodgers also need to get back to the drawing board when evaluating the starting rotation. Los Angeles is 8-7 since the All-Star break and has allowed 4.8 runs per game, something that was unthinkable in most stretches over the past three-plus seasons.

“Help, you know, is always good, I guess,” said Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who left the game with a left elbow contusion and is day to day. “But I think our starters are better than what they’ve probably shown, numbers-wise. Just have to continue to work and get better and hopefully have a good August.”

In order to have a good August, Los Angeles will need Julio Urías (who is battling a minor fingernail injury and will pitch Thursday instead of Tuesday) and Tony Gonsolin (who had one of the worst months of his career in July) to produce the way they have over the past few seasons.

Another boost could come from Kershaw's return at some point in August. He is scheduled to throw to hitters again on Thursday and could be activated when the team travels to Arizona beginning Aug. 8. Kershaw, of course, is coming off a left shoulder injury that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Outside of getting Kershaw back from injury and trading for Lynn -- who'll make his team debut Tuesday -- Los Angeles could benefit from adding another starter before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT Deadline.

The Dodgers have checked in with the Mets about superstar Justin Verlander, a pitcher they pursued this offseason, according to a source. A deal for Verlander has its complications because of the money owed to the right-hander past this season. The Pirates' Mitch Keller is another pitcher Los Angeles has shown interest in, multiple sources told MLB.com.

Keller is under team control through the 2025 season, which would likely require the Dodgers to part with a heavy prospect package. How aggressive Los Angeles is will depend on how confident the front office is that this group can turn things around over the next two months.

“I think I’ve been very candid in saying we always have room to improve on the pitching side,” Roberts said. “We’re going to go with who we have until we have more, when and if we do. That’s kind of the mindset that we have. … But again, it still takes two teams to make a deal.”