The Dodgers’ beginning pitcher had no issues on Saturday afternoon.
It was the majority man who adopted him who bumped into points.
In a 6-4 loss to the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium, Shohei Ohtani confirmed extra encouraging indicators as a pitcher, throwing two scoreless innings that included a double play within the first and a strikeout of the facet within the second.
However, in a reminder of the still-tenuous pitching depth the Dodgers have relied on for a lot of this primary half, lengthy man Justin Wrobleski got here again all the way down to earth in a five-run, 4 ⅔-inning outing thereafter, sending the crew to a defeat that clinched a sequence loss to the Astros.
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts is tagged out by Houston third baseman Isaac Paredes whereas making an attempt to stretch a double right into a triple at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
“It’s a good club over there,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “Now we got to find a way to circle up, regroup and salvage this series.”
Within the large image, this weekend has provided hope for the Dodgers’ long-term pitching plans.
On Friday, supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned injured $136.5-million right-hander Tyler Glasnow is on monitor to return from his shoulder drawback throughout subsequent week’s highway journey.
Earlier than Saturday’s recreation, injured $182-million left-hander Blake Snell threw his second dwell batting observe of the week, placing out 4 of the eight hitters he confronted in what is anticipated to be his closing simulated session earlier than occurring a minor-league rehab project. Each he and injured reliever Blake Treinen, who additionally threw an inning of dwell batting observe Saturday, are lined as much as be activated from the IL “at some point in time shortly after the All-Star break,” per Roberts.
Then there was Ohtani, who regardless of as soon as once more being restricted to a brief workload in his fourth pitching begin of the season, was additionally as soon as once more dominant in a 31-pitch show.
After Isaac Paredes singled to steer off the sport, Ohtani broke Cam Smith’s bat on a 96-mph fastball for a double-play grounder to second. Within the second inning, Ohtani fanned Christian Walker with a slider, then Victor Caratini and Yainer Díaz on a pair of big-breaking sweepers — all whereas additionally touching 101 mph on the radar gun.
“I think the stuff continues to get better, the command, the feel for making pitches,” Roberts mentioned of Ohtani, who additionally celebrated his thirty first birthday Saturday. “Really impressed how he’s continuing to get better and better each time out.”
In his six whole innings this 12 months, Ohtani has given up only one run, one stroll and 4 hits whereas placing out six batters.
And although it stays unclear precisely when he’ll be totally stretched out in his return from a second profession Tommy John surgical procedure — Roberts referred to as it “feasible” to ultimately get him as much as 5 – 6 innings if wanted — the Dodgers are inching steadily nearer to having the rotation they envisioned this 12 months: One with Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow becoming a member of possible All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a star-studded quartet the membership has spent lavishly the final two offseasons to construct.
“We can see a little squint of light,” Roberts mentioned. “It’s taken a little longer than we’ve all expected or hoped for, as far as getting our guys together. So we haven’t gotten there yet. But we’re hopeful and excited.”
Within the brief time period, nonetheless, the Astros have put a dent within the optimism the membership had clung to amongst its secure of younger pitching depth.
After Ben Casparius was knocked round in a historic blowout on Friday evening, Wrobleski suffered an identical destiny towards Houston’s surging lineup. Upon coming into the sport in the beginning of the third, he shortly blew an early 2-0 Dodgers lead, giving up a leadoff single to Cooper Hummel and back-to-back two-strike doubles to Mauricio Dubón (who fouled off fastball after fastball earlier than whacking a full-count heater the opposite means) and Zack Quick (who bought three-straight off-speed pitches, pulling the final one down the third-base line to attain two runs).
Miguel Rojas, tapped to play third base Saturday rather than the not too long ago injured Max Muncy, made issues worse by misfiring on a troublesome throw to first on a mushy floor ball from Smith with one out, permitting a run to attain. Then Walker, an unlikely Dodgers killer over his profession, lined a two-out single to proper to make it a four-run inning and a 4-2 Astros lead.
“I just think my mechanics were a touch off there those first couple innings,” Wrobleski mentioned. “It was just kind of a matter of finding them, getting back into a rhythm, getting ahead in counts, which overall, didn’t do a great job of today.”
Wrobleski, who had a 2.73 ERA in a formidable June earlier than Saturday’s regression, did ultimately calm down, however not earlier than Díaz homered in the beginning of the third to place the Astros up there.
Astros catcher Yainer Diaz greets second baseman Mauricio Dubon (14) at house plate after hitting a solo homer off Dodgers pitcher Justin Wrobleski within the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium on Saturday.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Occasions)
That deficit proved insurmountable for the Dodgers. They made it 5-4 when Rojas homered within the fourth (he additionally had an RBI single within the second inning, and drew a stroll within the fifth) however stranded a string of alternatives down the stretch, ending the day one-for-five with runners in scoring place and with 9 males left on base.
The largest blunder got here within the seventh. Having already homered within the first inning, Mookie Betts flashed one other encouraging signal within the seventh, lacing a line drive that bought all the way in which to the wall after left fielder Cooper Hummel got here up empty on an over-aggressive diving try. As Hummel recovered the ball, nonetheless, Betts made an ill-advised determination of his personal, making an attempt to stretch a double right into a triple as Hummel retrieved the ball and threw to the cutoff man.
The relay beat Betts to 3rd in loads of time. Afterward, Betts acknowledged he made a foul learn after seeing the ball thrown to the shortstop.
“When I was running, I was like, if he throws it and I see it not going toward third base — because it was more toward shortstop — that’s why I just kept going,” Betts mentioned. “So a misread for sure.”
From there, the Dodgers fizzled, stranding two runners within the eighth and one other within the ninth towards Astros nearer Josh Hader.
“I think that we gave ourselves an opportunity to get back in the game, to win the game,” Roberts mentioned, “and just couldn’t cash in.”
In time, a more healthy Dodgers pitching workers may render such errors mute. However on Saturday, they led to the crew’s first sequence defeat in nearly a month, and one other day of ready on their full secure of arms to be totally out there once more.
“We gotta finish [the season] healthy,” Betts mentioned. “We’ve only been healthy for like a week. So we’ll see.”
