Dropoff in Dodgers’ defense has been ‘an invisible hand’ in team’s disappointing start

LOS ANGELES — It is the leaky pipe you don’t see, undermining the floorboards and seeping into the foundation.
The unreliable bullpen and poor situational hitting were out there for all to see during the Dodgers’ dreadful 42-game start to the season. But a defense that has been far less efficient than the 2017 version has done its part as well.
“It definitely contributes,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “It’s kind of an in