This story was excerpted from Juan Toribio’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

With the new rules in place, teams are reminded once again just how valuable it is to steal bases. Other teams are being reminded how important it is to have pitchers and catchers that can control the running game. 

The Dodgers have come to learn this the hard way.

After 26 games, the Dodgers have allowed 38 stolen bases. That’s the most in the Majors. Holding runners has been an issue for a lot of Dodgers pitchers, and catchers Austin Barnes, Austin Wynns and Will Smith rarely have much of a chance. And when they do, they haven’t made the throw more often than not. 

Those issues were magnified in two particular series this season. The D-backs were the first team to exploit the Dodgers’ weakness during the four-game series in Arizona. The D-backs ran wild against the Dodgers, stealing five bags in one game. There’s no coincidence the Dodgers lost three of four behind one of the worst pitching performances of the season. 

This week, the Pirates took it to another level. Pittsburgh stole six bases on Wednesday en route to a dominant 8-1 win. Over the three-game series, the Pirates stole 12 bases. As a team, the Dodgers have just 11 stolen bases this season. 

“I think when you’re putting guys on base by way of walk or base hits or whatever it might be, they’re gonna try to expose us,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “Right now I don’t know the answer. The best answer is to try to keep them off first base, but once they get there, they’re taking advantage of us. So I think it’s a combo of pitchers at times and also I think that the catchers can be guilty at times as well. So yeah, it’s not -- I wish it was a quick fix.”

It’s certainly not a quick fix, but it’s something the Dodgers know they need to figure out. The Dodgers have eight pitchers that have allowed at least three stolen bases this season. Noah Syndergaard leads the league with nine stolen bases against, a problem that has followed him throughout his career and is being magnified now with the new rules. 

Of those eight pitchers, however, five are relievers in Alex Vesia, Yency Almonte, Shelby Miller, Phil Bickford and Caleb Ferguson. It’s becoming increasingly clear that the bullpen is taking a little longer to adjust to the newfound desire for teams to run the bases. 

That is making Roberts re-think how his bullpen gets deployed. 

“If you don’t have the ability to manage the running game, then you’re not a viable option to come into an inning with runners on base,” Roberts said. “And I think that they each individually need to take it upon themselves to get better. There are a couple guys that are doing a nice job. But we’ve clearly given up more bases than anyone in baseball. … The arm talent is still there. The track record is still there. But we got to be better.” 

The Dodgers start a three-game series against the Cardinals on Friday. St. Louis has stolen 16 bases this season, giving Los Angeles another decent test.