Feast or famine for Dodgers offense

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers send Zack Greinke to the mound trying to avoid the first three-game losing streak of the season on Wednesday night against the Phillies.

Greinke has an active streak of 16 straight starts of at least five innings and allowing two or fewer runs, the longest such streak in MLB dating back to at least 1914. But given how the Dodgers have played for the last week or so even another stellar outing from Greinke might not matter.

In the team's last eight games, the Dodgers starter has lasted five innings or longer and allowed two runs or fewer six times, but the team has lost four of those games. On the season the Dodgers are 10-5 (.667) when their starter meets the 5/2 criteria.

The rest of MLB this season is 151-34 (.816) in those games.

Since sweeping Arizona from April 11-13 in Phoenix, scoring 22 runs in the three-game series, the Dodgers have scored just 21 runs in their last eight games, tallying two or fewer runs six times. In many ways, the first 21 games have been very weird.

The Dodgers are tied for fourth in MLB with seven games of scoring six or more runs, yet they are also tied for ninth with eight games of two or fewer runs. Only one of their last 12 games (Sunday, with four runs) has the offense fallen in between these two measures.

A few of the recent slumps:

• Carl Crawford is 2-for-24 in his last eight games.
  
• Hanley Ramirez is 2-for-20 with a pair of walks since getting hit by a pitch on his left hand.
• Andre Ethier is 6-for-36 (.167/.205/.250) with a home run in his last 11 games.
  
• Matt Kemp is 7-for-40 (.175/.283/.300) with a home run and 15 strikeouts since homering twice on April 6.
• Juan Uribe is 1-for-12 in his last four games.
  

The Dodgers will have to face Cole Hamels, making his season debut after opening the year with left biceps tendonitis. He was activated off the disabled list on Wednesday, with right-hander B.J. Rosenberg optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Game info

Time: 7:10 p.m. PT

TV: SportsNet LA