Shohei Ohtani is dominant, but bullpen blows

PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani entered uncharted territory in his closing pitching start of the common season Tuesday night time, shutting out the Arizona Diamondbacks over a season-high six innings while throwing a season-most 91 pitches.

Given the woeful state of the Dodgers’ implosion-prone bullpen, however, the only method they’d’ve gained was if Ohtani was ready to go 9.

In the sort of late-game giveaway that didn’t really feel in the slightest degree stunning, the Dodgers had been instead walked off by the Diamondbacks in a 5-4 loss, cutting their division lead to 1 ½ video games with 5 to play.

Rookie relievers Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez mixed to give up three runs in the seventh, cutting deep into what was then a 4-0 Dodgers lead.

Closer Tanner Scott accomplished the collapse in the underside of the ninth, struggling his tenth blown save and fourth loss in a two-run inning punctuated by Geraldo Perdomo’s walk-off RBI single.

“It’s hard to absorb those games,” supervisor Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ eleventh walk-off defeat of the season. “Especially games that we need to win right now.”

The story on Tuesday night time ought to’ve been about Ohtani, who checked the ultimate box off his recovery from a second profession Tommy John surgical procedure by pitching into the sixth inning for the first time this yr.

It was a signal the Dodgers had been loosening the leash on the two-way star’s beforehand cautious workload restrictions — from the five-inning cap they’d positioned on him beforehand, to what they hope shall be more conventional full-length begins in what is set to grow to be his first MLB postseason on the mound.

On Tuesday, Ohtani dealt with his season-long start with almost flawless execution. His fastball was elite once again, topping out at 101.2 mph and accounting for 5 of his eight strikeouts. The relaxation of his seven-pitch combine stored the wild-card-seeking Diamondbacks (80-77) off stability, ensuing in just 5 hits (all singles) and no walks.

“Over the last three or four starts, there’s been a ramp-up of intensity and performance,” Roberts said of Ohtani, who has given up one run in 19 ⅓ innings over his last 4 outings to end the common season with a 2.87 ERA in 15 begins.

“I think that was his plan.”

Now, it’s up to the workforce to make a plan for its postseason pitching rotation and determine precisely where Ohtani matches within it.

Roberts has just about assured that the reigning National League MVP shall be used as a starter in next week’s best-of-three wild-card spherical (which the Dodgers are all but assured of enjoying in, even if they sew up an NL West division title where their magic quantity stays caught on three).

And as issues at the moment stand, Ohtani can be lined up to go in Game 1, after the workforce moved his weekly pitching schedule this month to have him start on Tuesdays. Coincidentally or not, Game 1 of the wild-card spherical can be next Tuesday.

The causes for opening that collection with Ohtani on the mound are apparent — from his electric stuff, to his penchant for performing in big moments, to guaranteeing he does pitch in a collection that may end in only two video games.

However, Roberts insisted workforce officers “don’t know yet” how their playoff rotation shall be ordered. There’s still debate to be had about how to best maximize their $700-million famous person.

The Dodgers may, for occasion, choose to start the wild-card collection with Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Games 1 and 2, and save Ohtani for a potential Game 3. The benefit there: Ohtani may focus solely on his duties as designated hitter the first two video games, and wouldn’t be required to play the day immediately after a pitching start (he is hitting only .138 in such video games this season, and the Dodgers have made an effort to get him begins immediately before off-days in latest months).

When requested Tuesday night time if he had a desire, Ohtani deflected.

“I’m sure there’s a strategic thought between which game I’m going to start, so I don’t want to really talk about that,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton. “But I’m always happy to just be able to start in any game that the team wishes me to pitch in.”

The Dodgers’ rotation questions, of course, continue to be overshadowed by their nightmare of a bullpen. In eight of the workforce’s 10 losses in September, a reliever had been credited as the shedding pitcher.

Despite continued confidence from Roberts, neither struggling veterans nor upstart rookies have been ready to present any high-leverage consistency.

“Our starters can’t go nine every night,” Roberts said. “We’re looking for some guys to step up.”

Dreyer and Henriquez, who have pitched properly this yr, but in largely low-leverage spots, failed to do so in the seventh. Dreyer gave up a single and RBI double. Henriquez served up an inside cutter that Adrian Del Castillo launched for a two-run homer to proper.

In the ninth, Scott snapped his string of 4 consecutive scoreless outings with a predictable recreation plan, utilizing his slider on 18 of 21 pitches while finding the ball in the strike zone only seven occasions.

Scott hit his first batter, Ildemaro Vargas, with a 2-and-2 slider. He walked his next, Tim Tawa, despite Tawa trying to bunt. After that, James McCann did get down a bunt in a two-strike rely to advance both runners. Then, Jorge Barrosa lifted a tying sacrifice fly before Perdomo (who famous afterward Scott’s abundance of sliders) hit his walk-off on another breaking ball Scott left hanging over the center.

“For that to happen, it sucks,” said Scott, who has a 4.91 ERA. “We should have won the game. It’s my fault.”

It’s far from the first time this yr he’s expressed such frustrations.

“I just see [guys being] careful,” Roberts said of the bullpen. “Getting behind, walking guys, hit batsmen — that’s just a sign of, you’re either scared or you’re pitching too careful. That’s just the facts. You’re not having the conviction in executing pitches for fear of failure or getting hit. At this time of season, you’ve got to put everything out there and trust that it’s going to be good.”

The Dodgers have grown so determined, Clayton Kershaw meandered down to the bullpen Tuesday and was obtainable in aid (the sort of position he’ll doubtless have in the playoffs). The Dodgers didn’t flip to him this time. But in the future, they may have no alternative but to use such out-of-the-box concepts.

Because at this charge, it gained’t matter who begins Game 1 in the playoffs. No stage of rotation excellence will ever really feel protected.

Bullpen reinforcements

The Dodgers have at least one bullpen reinforcement coming in this collection, with rookie right-hander Roki Sasaki set to be activated on Wednesday in his long-awaited return from a shoulder injury.

However, the standing of commerce deadline acquisition Brock Stewart stays in query. Though Stewart accomplished a latest minor-league rehab stint, and was with the workforce in Arizona on Tuesday, Roberts said the membership is still “making sure he feels good” after lacking the last six weeks with a shoulder injury. It is unclear if he shall be activated this week, as initially anticipated.

“[We’re] making sure he’s put in a position to feel good if he is activated,” Roberts said. “That’s no guarantee … We’ll know more tomorrow.”

Before Tuesday’s recreation, Stewart threw an prolonged flat-ground session in entrance of a workforce coach and normal supervisor Brandon Gomes. The three talked for a number of minutes once Stewart’s session was full.