TORONTO \u2014 You know you\u2019re a pretty good pitcher when he don\u2019t have your best stuff, your command is off, and you still pitch six innings in the big leagues without giving up an earned run. Such was the case on Wednesday in the Dodgers\u2019 getaway day game with the Toronto Blue Jays. All day long, Ohtani wasn\u2019t quite himself, but he made the pitches he needed to, but the Dodgers\u2019 pen couldn\u2019t hold a lead late and LA drops the finale to the Jays by a score of 4-3.<\/p>\n
The Grind<\/p>\n
Almost from the first pitch, it was clear that Ohtani hadn\u2019t brought the good stuff with him to the ballpark. In the first inning, he had to work around a couple of singles, but finally struck out his countryman Kazuma Okamoto to end the Jays\u2019 early threat. It took a similar number of pitches to get through the second, as Ohtani had to overcome an infield error from Alex Freeland. Unfortunately, Shohei\u2019s luck did not hold out in the third. After a walk to Daulton Varsho, a Will Smith passed ball put a runner in scoring position, and he easily scored on a Jesus Sanchez double down the third base line.<\/p>\n
But that unearned run would be all the Jays could muster against Ohtani. Shohei would throw three more innings, and get a lot of infield pop ups to finish out his outing. In the end the line looked pretty impressive for what looked like it might be headed for trouble early on: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 2 K. You have to like the fight, even on a day when he was hoping for more.<\/p>\n
Dodgers take lead in middle innings<\/p>\n
After Ohtani gave up the one run, the Dodgers fought their way back in this one. Freddie Freeman singled home a run in the third to tie the ballgame, and they got a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Teoscar Hernandez in the sixth to take the lead. When Will Smith hit an RBI single to score Miguel Rojas from second in the top of the seventh, it looked like the Dodgers might be on their way to a sweep.<\/p>\n
Rough Day for the Pen<\/p>\n
Shohei left the game with the Dodgers enjoying a 3-1 lead. However, the bullpen couldn\u2019t bring the ship into port. Jack Dreyer was wild and ineffective in the seventh, leading to two runs scored. George Springer and Daulton Varsho both got knocks to tie up the ballgame, and Blake Treinen had to come in to douse the fire before more damage could occur.<\/p>\n
Then, in the eighth, Ben Casparius met a similar fate. He too was a little wild, and walked Davis Schneider with one out. When Andres Gimenez hit a single past the infield, the Jays had runners cornered. All they needed was one base hit to end the home stand on a happy note. Turned out they didn\u2019t need one. Gimenez tried to steal second, and when Miguel Rojas couldn\u2019t squeeze the throw from Will Smith, the ball skidded away, and Schneider waltzed home with the go-ahead run.<\/p>\n
The Dodgers mounted a bit of a one-out threat in the the ninth, but it was not meant to be. Jeff Hoffman (remember him?) closed the door by striking out Freddie Freeman and getting Max Muncy to hit a harmless tapper back to the mound.<\/p>\n
A bit of a bummer ending, but the Dodgers have to be happy with such a strong road trip. They pack their bags, get their passports stamped, and head for home with a 9-3 record on the young season.<\/p>\n
Next Stop: Home for the Rangers<\/p>\n
\u201cFinishing a very successful road trip at an \u201calmost\u201d perfect 5-1, your Dodgers head home for a little interleague action with Corey Seager and the Texas Rangers. The Rangers, winners of seven of their first twelve games, come into Chavez Ravine riding a three-game win streak that has propeled them to the top of the AL West in the early going. Looks like it\u2019s going to be Tyler Glasnow on the mound on Friday night, facing off against highly touted young pitcher Kumar Rocker (0-1,\u00a03.60 ERA,\u00a03 K). Then, it will be Sheehan and Sasaki for the final two games of the series. Game time on Friday is 7:10 PDT. See you there!\u201d<\/p>\n
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