Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers can’t seem to get anything to go right against Ohtani’s former team.
Mere hours after odd allegations of his involvement in a real-estate manipulation scheme, Ohtani lined into a triple play, hit a long and dramatic homer and scored two runs in one of the strangest on-field games of his legendary big-league career.
Yet, the Dodgers could not hold the advantage, since Alex Vesia coughed up the lead, and they lost again to the Los Angeles Angels, 7-6 in 10 innings — falling to 0-5 against their southern interleague rivals.
Coupled with the San Diego Padres‘ 5-1 win in San Francisco, and the Dodgers fell into a tie atop the National League West with just 42 games left.
Did Shohei Ohtani Line Into A Triple Play?
The Dodgers had already rallied twice over the first five innings, erasing deficits of 3-1 and 5-3 to pull even on Andy Pages’ bases-loaded walk in the top of the fifth.
But LA was looking to break the game open in the sixth when Nos. 8 and 9 hitters Miguel Rojas and Dalton Rushing opened the frame with back-to-back singles.
That set things up for Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who combined to go 4 for 12 with four runs scored Tuesday night.
Ohtani scalded a line drive up the middle, but shortstop Zach Neto speared it, athletically stepped on second base then threw to first baseman Nolan Schanuel for the inning-ending 6-6-3 triple play.
“I thought [Rojas] did a fine job. … but Daltonâs got to get back,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The ballâs in front of him, and [he is] bolting toward second base, thatâs something that canât happen.”
According to MLB.com, it was the second-most influential play in the game, dropping the Dodgers’ win probability by 20.1 percent — from 62.7 percent to 42.6. It was surpassed only by Ohtani’s leadoff, ninth-inning homer, off former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen, that boosted the Dodgers’ win probability to 84.2 percent and gave them a 6-5 lead.
“It was great,” Roberts said of the Ohtani homer. “I think the at-bat quality, the fight, the big hit right there, obviously we felt it in the dugout.”
What Did Dave Roberts Say About The Dodgers’ Losing Streak?
The normally even-keeled Roberts has grown frustrated publicly over LA’s recent malaise — that has now spanned more than six weeks.
The Dodgers led the Padres by nine games on July 3 and were a season-best 24 games over .500. Yet, they have cratered, going 12-20 over their past 32 games and coughing up the division advantage.
“You just got to play better baseball,” Roberts said. “We’re not helping ourselves by not playing good baseball.
“There’s things you can manage and control, and I don’t think we’re doing a good-enough job with that as far as little things that are coming to show as big things.”
The Dodgers have dropped three straight, including two in a row at Angel Stadium — despite the clearly pro-Dodgers crowd in each of the first two games. They will turn to Ohtani on the mound to play the stopper and try to retain at least a share of first place before the Padres come to Dodger Stadium this weekend.
“I know we’re all frustrated, [but] it’s not going to turn by itself,” Roberts said. “But we’re going to go back to work tomorrow and try and salvage this series and find a way to beat these guys this year.”
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