PHOENIX — The Dodgers’ only hope to solve their potentially fatal bullpen issues might be to clone Shohei Ohtani so he can pitch out of their bullpen as well as start games in the postseason.
Looking every bit like a Game 1 starter, Ohtani dominated the Arizona Diamondbacks for six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while striking out eight on Tuesday night.
Pushing Ohtani through six innings for the first time since his second Tommy John surgery still left three innings for the Dodgers’ bullpen to foul things up. And they did, surrendering a four-run lead and losing, 5-4, on Geraldo Perdomo’s walk-off single in the ninth inning.
It began with rookies Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez surrendering three runs in the seventh inning but ended – as it seemingly always does – with Tanner Scott serving up the decisive hit. Perdomo’s was the fourth walk-off hit Scott has allowed in his past five appearances on the road.
The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the National League West title outright remains at three, but their lead over the second-place San Diego Padres is down to 1½ games with five games left in the regular season. The Dodgers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres.
Ohtani has not allowed a run in 14⅔ innings over his past three starts with hitters going 8 for 51 (.157) with 18 strikeouts in those games – including his five no-hit innings against the Philadelphia Phillies last week. He got 16 swings-and-misses, including nine on a four-seam fastball that topped out at 101.2 mph.
“Just seeing Shohei’s performance over the last three or four starts, there’s been a ramp-up of intensity and performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game in Arizona. “I think that was his plan. He even mentioned it – he’s done with that sort of spring training mindset and he’s in playoff mode. This is going to be his last start before the postseason, so he’s going to lay it all out there and pitch well.”
Ohtani retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced Tuesday night, six on strikeouts. The only hit was a 105.8 mph liner back at Ohtani by Alek Thomas. Ohtani got his glove down in time to take most of the drive near his hip off the heel of his glove. It deflected away for a hit, but Ohtani struck out the side after that.
Ketel Marte led off the fourth inning with the second hit off Ohtani who then struck out the next two batters and got an inning-ending forceout. Those were Ohtani’s last strikeouts of the night and the Diamondbacks got to him for another single in the fifth and two in the sixth.
He got Gabriel Moreno to fly out to center field to end the sixth inning on his 91st pitch of the night. It was the most he had thrown – and the first time he had pitched into a sixth inning – since he threw 97 pitches in six innings against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 9, 2023. In his next (and final) start for the Angels, he left the mound in the second inning with the elbow injury that would lead to surgery.
This time, he left the mound with a 3-0 lead thanks to Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez led off the second inning with a home run. In the sixth, Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt walked Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman then gave up a two-out, two-run triple to Hernandez.
Ben Rortvedt added a solo home run in the seventh inning. It wasn’t enough.
Dreyer and Henriquez (who gave up a two-run home run to pinch-hitter Adrian del Castillo) made it a one-run game in the seventh inning. Alex Vesia waked two in the eight but stranded the tying run at third.
Scott had made four scoreless appearances since giving up a walk-off grand slam to Patrick Bailey in San Francisco. But he hit Vargas in the foot with a pitch then walked Tim Tawa. The Diamondbacks bunted the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position then tied the score on Jorge Barrosa’s sacrifice fly and won it on Perdomo’s RBI single.
More to come on this story.