The final outcome didn’t really match the excitement of that first swing.
It appears Shohei Ohtani’s knee issues are still quite significant.
Ohtani was unable to start in the Dodgers’ 9-3 defeat against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, suffering a pregame setback due to “ongoing inflammation in his left knee,” as the team put it.
However, that didn’t prevent him from taking up the role of designated hitter. In fact, during his initial at-bat, he managed to catch All-Star left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez off guard, hitting a powerful lead-off home run after just three pitches.
Clearly, Ohtani’s knee problems are concerning.
After dealing with this for about a month, he’s scheduled to undergo a draining procedure on Sunday followed by pain relief injections thereafter.
This treatment will unfortunately keep him from participating in the All-Star Game. Additionally, the team’s bullpen had to step up on Friday, but the results were underwhelming.
Nonetheless, manager Dave Roberts claimed that Ohtani’s situation isn’t overly troublesome.
Roberts noted that if it were October, Ohtani would be pitching. Even now, in mid-July, he’s still fit enough to bat.
The lead-off home run boosted that optimism, as Ohtani somehow connected with a fastball from the inside corner, hitting it 381 feet to left field.
This was Ohtani’s 21st home run of the season, marking his third in four games, and his tenth since his knee trouble began on June 10.
Even in defeat, that home run brought a reassuring sigh.
What it means
The Dodgers kicked off the first half with a loss, impacted by Ohtani’s absence and shaky performances from the bullpen.
It started with pitcher Kyle Hart, who allowed two runs from three singles and a walk during the first inning. The Diamondbacks capitalized with additional two-run hits in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, while relievers Will Klein, Brock Stewart, and Edgardo Enriquez managed to walk four batters and only allowed two hits.
The defense didn’t help matters either (more on that in a bit). Stewart’s low point came when he let a two-run homer by No. 9 hitter Tim Tawa slip by in the fourth inning, breaking a tie. In the fifth, Enriquez entered with a runner on second and promptly allowed him to score through a balk and a wild pitch.
Who is hot
After a rocky beginning in Arizona, Rodriguez found his rhythm, pitching six innings with two runs and five strikeouts.
Interestingly, it was Andy Pages who hit his own home run right after Ohtani in the first inning.
Pages had a total of three hits that day, including singles in the third and sixth innings. This was his ninth game of the season with a three-hit performance, the second time achieving this since May 6.
With three hits in four at-bats, his batting average climbed to .269 and his OPS rose to .807.
Who is not?
This year, the Dodgers’ defense has generally been a strong point.
However, they seem to be thinking ahead to the All-Star break this week.
On Friday, they committed three errors. In the first inning, right fielder Kyle Tucker made a poor throw, sending the ball into the dugout, which allowed a run. In the fifth, catcher Dalton Rushing made an inaccurate throw to second base to cut off a Diamondbacks rally. Then in the sixth, third baseman Tommy Edman misfired on a bunt attempt.
Overall, these mistakes contributed to three of the eight earned runs given up by the Dodgers’ pitchers.
Even more troubling, the team has racked up six errors in the last three games, including two that led to another loss on Tuesday.
Despite these recent challenges, the Dodgers still lead the league in fielding percentage and lowest error count this season.
Yet, this has frustrated Roberts, and he appeared disheartened in the dugout on Friday as his team mishandled the ball.
To the next
The Dodgers will have their ace taking the mound from the bullpen on Saturday, as they pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-5, 2.49 ERA) against Arizona’s Brandon Fuhrt (2-1, 4.84 ERA) for the last time before the All-Star break.
