It sure looked like the Dodgers could’ve used Shohei Ohtani’s bat in the lineup Tuesday night.
Without it, they couldn’t get the two-way star off the hook for a loss in a 2-1 defeat to the Miami Marlins.
Ohtani pitched just fine in his six-inning, two-run, nine-strikeout outing, finishing the night with a 0.60 ERA through five starts this year despite lacking his typically premium stuff.
But for the second time this season, the Dodgers elected to leave Ohtani out of the batting order in a game he pitched as part of their plan to manage his workload this season.
Long-term, they hope, it will keep Ohtani fresh.
But on Tuesday, it led to a dreadful night at the plate from the rest of the team.
After coming up empty in a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity created by shaky Marlins defense in the first, the Dodgers (20-10) did little at the plate the rest of the evening.
Miami starter Janson Junk kept them off-balance in a scoreless six-inning start, using a five-pitch to induce weak contact and collect quick outs. The Marlins bullpen avoided the kind of collapse that doomed them in Monday’s walk-off finish, giving up one run in the eighth but stranding runners on the corners to extinguish the threat.
That would be as close as the Dodgers came to a comeback. In the ninth, they got an infield single from Andy Pages, but nothing else.
“If you’re not going to put up crooked numbers and be clicking on all cylinders, you gotta be good situationally,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And we were not good at all tonight situationally. That’s what it comes down to.”
Roberts defended the decision to leave Ohtani out of the batting order, noting the move was made to “do right by Shohei” as the team tries to help him navigate what will be a grueling two-way campaign.
Plus, “even without him tonight in the lineup,” Roberts argued, “we should’ve won the game.”
Instead, the manager was left stewing over the team’s missed chances in the first and eighth innings.
“And in between all that,” he added, “there was nothing going on.”
Backup catcher Dalton Rushing replaced Ohtani as the team’s designated hitter –– and, so as not to disrupt the rest of the batting order, their leadoff man, as well –– but suffered an 0-for-4 performance that included a controversial strikeout in the fifth inning on a pitch-clock violation.
Rushing had requested a timeout in the batter’s box with two strikes, and initially believed it had been granted by home plate umpire Clint Vondrak (replays showed Vondrak raising his hand and subtly nodding his head).
However, when the clock wound down, Vondrak signaled for an automatic strike that left Rushing fuming.
By the end of the night, he wasn’t the only one, as the Dodgers managed just seven hits while leaving eight men stranded on base.
What it means
Tuesday was the kind of game that could give the Dodgers pause before keeping Ohtani out of the lineup on his start days again.
However, Roberts said that won’t “play in my math” regarding the two-way star’s future usage.
“I feel good about it,” he insisted. “I’d do the same thing again.”
Nonetheless, Ohtani’s absence loomed large. After slumping last week, he’d been one of the team’s few stars who seemed to be snapping out of an early-season funk in recent days, reeling off back-to-back three-hit games Sunday and Monday while reaching safely in 10 of his past 14 plate appearances overall.
Who’s hot
As a pitcher, Ohtani wasn’t his sharpest against the Marlins, battling somewhat shaky command while giving up five hits and three walks that drove up his pitch count to a season-high 104.
However, he managed to limit damage well and tap into his 100 mph fastball velocity when he needed it.
“For him to still find a way to navigate six innings and then give up two runs, we should win the game,” Roberts said.
The first run against Ohtani came as a result of his own defensive mistake, when he threw away a pickoff throw after hitting Agustín Ramírez with a pitch in the second inning. The Marlins scored again in the fifth on an RBI single from Kyle Stowers –– marking only the second earned run against Ohtani in 30 innings this year.
After that, though, he worked out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the score close, and puncuated his outing with three strikeouts in the sixth to strand a one-out single.
“I thought he pitched well,” said catcher Will Smith, who was the lone offensive bright spot by collecting three hits. “Thought he did a good job of slowing them down.”
Who’s not
Pages has officially come back to earth after his blistering start to the year.
Though he avoided an 0-fer by legging out his ninth-inning single (which was aided by a bad throw), the third-year slugger is now just 7-for-40 in his last 11 games –– during which time his batting average has fallen from an MLB-best .412 to .324.
It’s still been an excellent first month overall. It’s just not ending on the highest of notes.
Up next
The Dodgers and Marlins will conclude this series on Wednesday afternoon, when Tyler Glasnow (3-0, 2.45) will square off against former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara (3-2, 3.05 ERA) in a marquee pitching matchup. Ohtani is expected to return to the Dodgers’ lineup as designated hitter for the rubber match. Based on Tuesday’s performance, his bat will be needed.
