Dodgers suddenly not finding themselves at home on the road

It offered all the comforts of home, maybe even more. Mommy might as well have been on the road with them, tucking them in at night after warm milk and cookies. There, there now.

At the peak of their turnaround, the Dodgers were kings of the road. They went through baseball cities like Genghis Khan through villages.

By early August, the Dodgers had won a team-record 15 consecutive road games. Then they won seven of their next nine on the road. By the time they fell on the road again on Sept. 4, they had built a 13½-game lead in the division. Suspense was over.

When the Dodgers stumbled in their recent homestand, losing the last three, some almost looked forward to getting away from Dodger Stadium.

“We seem to come together on the road,” outfielder Andre Ethier said.

They got off to a poor star in that endeavor Monday, falling 3-2 to the Diamondbacks in Arizona. They’ve now lost five straight road games. It’s their longest losing streak on the road since dropping six consecutive back in May.

The Dodgers still have the best road record in the National League (40-32), though they’ve now fallen percentage points behind Texas (42-33) for baseball’s best overall record away from home.

It’s just one more indication how things have changed for the Dodgers. When they were remarkably hot, they went 42-8. Now they’ve lost more than that (nine) in their last 13 games.

And the road is not offering an elixir.