Friedman amid Dodgers' struggles: 'This team is capable of way more'

Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman says he believes his struggling squad will turn it around.

"I get that while mired in this funk, nothing looks very good. And I share that sentiment," Friedman told The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

"But I believe this team is capable of way more, and I believe that will be proven out by us playing better, more consistent baseball as we look ahead. … I think it's an imperfect storm of some bad luck and us not playing very well."

The Dodgers were swept by the rival San Francisco Giants over the weekend, dropping them to third in the NL West. They have lost 17 of their last 28 games amid the club's worst stretch in half a decade.

Friedman cited the Dodgers' pitching and health issues as a couple of reasons why Los Angeles is playing below expectations. The Dodgers have been forced to rely on young call-ups in the rotation with Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Dustin May, and Ryan Pepiot on the injured list, along with the poor performance of offseason addition Noah Syndergaard.

Los Angeles has also seen regression in its bullpen, with its combined ERA of 5.04 being the second-worst mark in the majors, only better than the Oakland Athletics.

Friedman hopes to address some of the club's pitching concerns by shifting his focus and aggressively looking for help ahead of July's trade deadline, but he also has faith in the group the Dodgers are currently putting on the field.

"We still really believe in this roster and the talent level," Friedman said. "Obviously, we are way more talented than how we've been playing. … But now it's on us to go out and prove it and show it."