{"id":972993,"date":"2026-08-01T06:55:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/972993\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T06:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T06:55:19","slug":"shohei-ohtani-homers-before-dodgers-unravel-in-loss-to-red-sox","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/972993\/","title":{"rendered":"Shohei Ohtani homers before Dodgers unravel in loss to Red Sox"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Dodgers<\/a> patched two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani<\/a>\u2019s absence from the starting rotation with a pseudo-bullpen day on Friday. In a 9-4 loss<\/a> to the Red Sox, Ohtani did his part with his bat, but the Dodgers\u2019 pitching wavered.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just can\u2019t chase every single win, every single night,\u201d manager Dave Roberts said. \u201cIt\u2019s not responsible. It\u2019s just not the right process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Back in the Dodgers\u2019 lineup after a day off to address lingering soreness<\/a> in his left knee, Ohtani had the Dodgers\u2019 first hit, an opposite-field double into the gap off Red Sox left-hander Ranger Suarez in the fourth inning.<\/p>\n

That same inning, Ohtani scored the Dodgers\u2019 first run, crossing the plate on a single from Freddie Freeman \u2014 who extended his hitting streak to 10 games, the longest by a Dodger this season.<\/p>\n

The next inning, Ohtani kept the Dodgers\u2019 rally going after the Red Sox (58-51) pulled Suarez. Facing left-handed Jovani Mor\u00e1n, Ohtani turned on a changeup and sent it into the right-field stands for a two-run homer.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers (69-41) used just four pitchers, thanks to left-hander Cole Irvin<\/a>, who the Dodgers called up on Friday to provide bulk.<\/p>\n

After opener Edgardo Henriquez<\/a> threw a scoreless inning, Will Klein<\/a>\u2019s struggles continued. Adding to his three-week skid, during which Klein\u2019s been fighting bad mechanics, he gave up three hits, made an errant pickoff attempt, issued a walk and hit Willson Contreras in the helmet. He was charged with three runs (one earned) over 1\u2153 innings.<\/p>\n

Irvin replaced Klein. What began as a largely efficient outing fell apart in the seventh, when Irvin gave up five runs over 10 batters. He gave up eight hits and six runs over six innings. The effort at least kept the rest of the bullpen fresh.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\u201cOrange County kid that gets to play for one of his hometown teams is pretty special, and I\u2019m pretty thankful for that, and happy and blessed,\u201d said Irvin, a product of Servite High School in Anaheim. \u201cIt sucks to lose, but there\u2019s a part of me that\u2019s proud that I get to wear Dodger blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

This time of year, bullpen depth is top of mind for teams across MLB, with the trade deadline on Monday approaching.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers jump on opportunities throughout the year to add relievers. But Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers\u2019 president of baseball operations, noted earlier this week that the team worked over the offseason to prevent them from having an \u201cacute need\u201d at the trade deadline. That includes their relief corps.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have an acute need, it\u2019s really challenging, because you\u2019re paying 150 cents, 200 cents on the dollar,\u201d Friedman said. \u201cSo we try to do everything we can to avoid not having to do something. But when you\u2019re able to be in a position to be a little bit more selective and opportunistic about what potentially is available, it just puts you in a better position. So as much flexibility as we can have, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz\u2019s velocity is back \"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers closer Edwin D\u00edaz pitches against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Dodgers closer Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a> wasn\u2019t perfect in his first two games back from the injured list. But after undergoing surgery to remove five loose bodies from his elbow, and a three-month process to return to a major-league mound, he wasn\u2019t expected to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first game back, I was a little bit anxious,\u201d D\u00edaz said after giving up two hits and a run to the Mariners en route to recording the save on Wednesday. \u201cBut I threw strikes, I made pitches, and at the end of the day I got the W. Tomorrow, we\u2019ll see the video to see what they were [seeing] on the fastball and make an adjustment and try the next time to make some pitches to make them chase.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest positive was his fastball velocity. D\u00edaz\u2019s velocity was down to begin the year, dipping to about 95.5 mph in his last two outings before landing on the injured list.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, his fastball averaged 96.9 mph and he touched 98.9 mph, according to Statcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought the second day was better than the first, and it\u2019s great to have him back,\u201d Roberts said.<\/p>\n

D\u00edaz limited the Mariners to one hit in one scoreless inning Thursday and tallied two strikeouts.<\/p>\n

After pitching back-to-back days, D\u00edaz will be unavailable through Saturday, Roberts said.<\/p>\n

Stewart injured \"Dodgers <\/p>\n

Dodgers pitcher Brock Stewart delivers against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 12.<\/p>\n

(Ronaldo Bolanos \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The Dodgers put Brock Stewart (2.45 ERA) on the 15-day IL with right shoulder discomfort as the corresponding active roster move for Irvin \u2014 a hit to the Dodgers\u2019 right-handed, high-leverage depth. They also designated right-hander Chayce McDermott for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cShould be short term,\u201d Roberts said of Stewart\u2019s IL stay. \u201cHe\u2019s done a great job when he\u2019s been active on really pitching well. So we\u2019ve got to make sure, with the calendar on our side, we\u2019ve got to protect him and take a couple weeks and then get him back. This is something that we are being proactive on and really try to talk through it with Brock and understanding our thought behind it, with the bullpen day just the coverage and not trying to put him or anyone else in harm\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is Stewart\u2019s third stint on the IL this season. He began the year recovering from the right shoulder surgery that ended his 2025 season. Then days after being activated in early May, he landed on the IL again, after aggravating a bone spur in his left foot. He returned again in late June.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is just more of a formality,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI really believe, the training staff believes that it\u2019s going to be short term.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not rushing Snell<\/p>\n

The Dodgers had been considering bringing back Blake Snell<\/a> (loose body elbow surgery) from his rehab assignment early to bridge the gap with Ohtani shut down from pitching.<\/p>\n

They instead have decided to have Snell make another rehab start next week, when he\u2019ll target five innings.<\/p>\n

By utilizing a bullpen game Friday, the Dodgers built in a full week of rest for Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> and Emmet Sheehan<\/a>, who are scheduled to start the next two games against the Red Sox. And they avoided pitching Justin Wrobleski<\/a> on regular rest.<\/p>\n

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