PITTSBURGH -- After a successful 3-1 start to the road trip for the Dodgers in Chicago, things didn’t go nearly as smoothly in Pittsburgh, losing two of three to the Pirates following a 6-2 defeat on Thursday at PNC Park. 

Despite the back-to-back losses to the Pirates, the Dodgers still finished the seven-game road trip with a 4-3 record. But Los Angeles heads back to Dodger Stadium having fallen back to .500 at 13-13 through 26 games. 

“We were one game away from making it a 5-2 road trip. It wasn’t pretty,” said manager Dave Roberts. “Today, I thought we had some momentum, and we just couldn’t keep that momentum from the first. As far as the guys that are here, there are some things we’ve got to get better at on both sides of the baseball.”

Given all the success the Dodgers have had over the last five seasons, this slow of a start has been surprising for Los Angeles. Let’s tackle three takeaways from this up-and-down road trip.

Running game needs to be addressed
The scouting report on how to best exploit the Dodgers has been made clear by opposing teams: Steal bases.

Failing to control the running game played a huge factor in the Dodgers losing three of four against the D-backs, one of the fastest teams in the league, earlier this month. But the Pirates took that gameplan to another level during this three-game set.

The Pirates stole three bases in the first inning off starter Julio Urías, helping them erase a two-run deficit and ultimately taking a 3-2 lead after one. In the series, the Dodgers allowed 12 stolen bases; in comparison, the Dodgers have 11 so far this season even after swiping two bags on Thursday. The Dodgers lead Major League Baseball with 38 stolen bases allowed. 

“It created a lot of offense for them,” Roberts said. “It’s hard not to see what’s going on, and we’ve got to continue to try to manage it. But that was a big difference in how many bases we gave up.”

Inconsistent offense should get reinforcements
During the seven-game trip, the Dodgers scored 4.7 runs per game. Most of that damage, however, was done in a couple of games, including an eight-run performance on Tuesday against the Pirates. 

The Dodgers have shown flashes of a talented offense at times this season, but they also have stretches in which the lineup is held in check. After the eight-run game on Tuesday, the Dodgers mustered just three runs over the last two games against Pittsburgh. 

The absence of Max Muncy and J.D. Martinez in the Pittsburgh series certainly played a role in the Dodgers’ lack of offense against the Pirates. Will Smith has been sidelined for over a week. Mookie Betts didn’t start the first game of the Cubs series as he came back from the paternity list. 

Los Angeles should have Smith and Muncy back over the weekend against the Cardinals. But the Dodgers need Freddie Freeman and Betts to get hot at the plate to help alleviate some of the struggles in the bottom of the order. 

Betts went hitless in the three-game series against the Pirates. Freeman went 5-for-27 with six strikeouts and one homer during the seven-game road trip.

Dodgers need their ace
In order for the Dodgers to get their season on track, they’ll need their ace, Urías, to get back to the form that turned him into one of the best pitchers in the Majors last season. 

After a strong start to his ‘23 season, delivering three quality starts, Urías has been hit around in each of his last three starts. In two starts on this road trip, Urías allowed 11 earned runs on 14 hits over nine innings. 

The home run ball has been particularly hurting Urías. The Mexican left-hander allowed two homers in each of his last three starts. Interestingly enough, they all came on back-to-back homers. Urías’ season ERA has gone up to 4.41 through six starts. It’s still early, but the Dodgers need the left-hander to get back on track. 

“I feel like I’m too inconsistent right now, and I’m paying the price,” Urías said in Spanish. “I honestly just have to be better.”