Dodgers Come Close in 3-2 Loss to Orioles

It was almost a repeat scenario for the Dodgers.

In a tense game against the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night, the Dodgers lost 3-2, with a tying run sitting at third base as the game concluded.

The night before, they had pulled off a thrilling comeback, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to win after being down by two.

On Saturday, the excitement began with Shohei Ohtani, who made his return after taking a brief break to welcome his second child into the world.

In the ninth inning, Ohtani charged at Andrew Kittredge’s fastball and launched it over the centerfield wall, which cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-1.

Freddie Freeman then earned a walk with one out before the Orioles swapped Kittredge for Yania Cano.

Following that, Mookie Betts reached base with an infield hit, leading to Freeman scoring thanks to an error by right fielder Leonie Tavares on Tommy Edman’s line drive. Betts advanced to third but, unfortunately, Kyle Tucker struck out, sealing the game.

The Dodgers struggled against Orioles’ left-hander Trevor Rogers, who only allowed one hit in the first seven innings.

Rogers, the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up with the Miami Marlins, has had his fair share of injuries over a rocky seven-year career.

Last season, he excelled with 18 starts, a record of 9-3, and an impressive 1.81 ERA – a new single-season record for the Orioles among pitchers with 100 or more innings.

Due to his prior performance, Rogers was named the Orioles’ starter this year, although he entered this game with a 5.86 ERA against the Dodgers.

He had also faced setbacks, losing seven of his previous eight decisions.

Yet, the Dodgers just couldn’t crack his code.

Edman managed the only hit against Rogers with two outs in the fifth inning, connecting a ball to center field.

Other than Edman, only two more Dodger players reached base, and those were walks.

What It Means

The day after becoming a father again, Ohtani returned to the lineup as the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter.

Even though he hit a home run in the ninth, Ohtani’s overall performance against Rogers was somewhat frustrating— he had a hit in his first at-bat but struck out and grounded out in the next two.

Ohtani was seen pitching in the outfield before the game, and manager Dave Roberts mentioned he anticipated that Ohtani would be starting on Wednesday in Minnesota.

Recalling Ohtani’s first child’s birth last year, Roberts said he had gifted a mini pink Porsche and joked, “I have to think of something for this new baby too.”

Who Is Hot

Edman is back after a lengthy stint on the injured list due to a surgery on his right ankle, and this was just his third start since returning.

So far, his ankle seems to be holding up well. After a three-hit game on Friday, Edman added another multi-hit game on Saturday, following up a single off Rogers with another single against right-hander Rico Garcia in the eighth.

Who Is Not?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who dazzled in a near-perfect game against the Chicago White Sox, had a reality check in this outing.

He let two leadoff batters reach base in both the second and fourth innings, which proved costly.

In the second inning, Leonie Tavares scored on a fielder’s choice by Coby Mayo.

Then in the fourth, Blaze Alexander hit a two-run double down the left field line. By the end of the fourth, Yamamoto had thrown 70 pitches.

He managed to finish the sixth inning, but he gave up three RBIs from six hits and two walks, while striking out six.

This brought his record to 7-5 and raised his ERA to 2.65.

To the Next

The Dodgers and Orioles will wrap up their three-game series on Sunday. For the Dodgers, Emmett Sheehan (3-4, 4.67 ERA) will take the mound against the Orioles’ right-hander Brandon Young (3-1, 3.67 ERA).