PHOENIX — Just a week ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers fought back against the belief that they automatically wrapped up their third consecutive World Series championship at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Tarik Skubal.

These days, the Dodgers are battling the idea that they’re suddenly an old, broken-down team that will have to fight for its lives just to win the NL West.

Funny what eight losses in nine games, including 15 of the last 24, can do to your perception.

“There’s no concern in here,” Dodgers veteran All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman said Sunday after the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. “We’re a good team.”

Any more questions?

The standings will show that the Dodgers (70-48) still have a comfortable 7 ½-game lead in the NL West over Arizona. They have the third-best record in the National League. And they are on pace to win 96 games, three more than a year ago, when they won their third World Series title in five years.

But yet, this is the same team that has been nothing more than mediocre for nearly two months, going 21-21 since June 19.

Is there any concern, bordering on panic?

“Well, I don’t think there’s any concern,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “We still got a really good ballclub. There’s certainly not panic.

“I think for us, it’s just finding a way to win a game, and win consistently. I think that’s the focus versus, you know, what type of emotions you’re feeling. That’s just not helpful, regardless.”

The Dodgers have found all kinds of ways to lose during this ugly stretch, but of late, it’s the offense that has gone AWOL. They scored just seven runs in the three-game series at Chase Field. The Dodgers made the D-backs’ rotation of Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Merrill Kelly look like Atlanta’s Hall of Fame trio Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz. They yielded a 1.37 ERA in the three-game series, allowing just nine hits and one homer in 19 2/3 innings.

“We’re certainly not playing up to our capability …” Roberts said. “I think this series it was very clear that we weren’t hitting the fastball, and we were exposing ourselves to the changeup with the secondary specifically.

“We have to make adjustments. I think for me, that’s sort of what I see as a group,  we’re just not making adjustments.”

Right fielder Kyle Tucker, who has yet to come close to living up to the expectations of his $240 million contact, and center fielder Andy Pages were the Dodgers’ only offensive players who had a productive series.

Look at what their other stars did in the series:

• Shohei Ohtani: 1-11, 1 RBI
• Freddie Freeman: 1-12, 1 RBI
• Tommy Edman: 2-12, 1 RBI
• Mookie Betts: 1-for-10
• Teoscar Hernandez: 1-for-11, 5 strikeouts
• Max Muncy: 0-for-7, 5 strikeouts

“It’s baseball,” Freeman said. “Ups and downs. We’re going through it.”

The Dodgers have scored just 85 runs since the All-Star break, ranking only 23^rd in runs scored.

And this weekend’s offense consisted basically only of Pages, who went 5-for-11 with a double, home run and two RBI, and Tucker, who went 3-for-11 with a triple, homer and 2 RBI.

“We’re confident in our abilities as hitters, and there’s a lot of great ones in this lineup and on this team,” Tucker said. “So, it’s not always going to go our way. I mean, you can do all you can, it doesn’t mean you’re going to get a hit. But you just got to keep moving forward.”

Certainly, the Dodgers should have a much-needed adrenaline boost beginning Monday, Aug. 10 with the upcoming schedule. They return to Dodger Stadium, where they’ll face the Kansas City Royals (49-70) for three games, followed by the Milwaukee Brewers (74-44), and then it’s off to Colorado (46-72), before heading home again to play the Pittsburgh Pirates (58-62).

And, oh, yeah, they’ll also have Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner making his home debut for the Dodgers on Monday, followed by two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who makes his first start in three months on Tuesday, Aug. 11.

It resurrects memories when Cy Young winners Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke were in the Dodgers’ rotation for three years, combining for 104 victories.

“On one side, you feel the confidence because of who you’re running out there,” Roberts said. “But on the other side, it seems daunting when you look at the probables and you see these Cy Young guys back-to-back. It’s a lot to take it. It feels really good to have those two guys on our side.”

Meanwhile, Ohtani, who hasn’t pitched since July 3 with an inflamed knee, is back to playing catch. It’s unknown when he will have his first bullpen session, Roberts says, but the Dodgers are hopeful he can return to the rotation in September.

The Dodgers might need reinforcements considering All-Star Justin Wrobleski’s struggles since the break. He lasted just 3 ⅓ innings on Sunday, giving up six hits, four runs (three earned), three walks, three strikeouts and a homer. He is now yielding a 9.88 ERA in his last three starts, allowing nine home runs.

“I’m just not good enough right now,” Wrobleski said. “It’s kind of what it comes down to. It’s really frustrating. Execution just hasn’t been as good. I got to be better.

“I’m not the type to give up. I’m ready to bear down.”

So are the Dodgers ready to prove that this is simply a hiccup. There’s still six weeks to play until October. They’ve got plenty of time to get themselves right.

They still believe they’ve got the talent and burning desire to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series titles.

But they won’t do it if they keep playing like this.

“We’re just better than this,” Roberts said. “As we always say, it’s not a try league. We’ve got to be it done. We’ve got to be better.

“And we will.”

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.