Dodgers Lose Ground in Division: Crisis on the Horizon?
Just six weeks ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to have the National League West title secured. With a nine-game lead on July 3rd, the team was looking for its 12th divisional title in 13 years. However, the landscape has changed dramatically. After losing to the Angels in a sweep, the Dodgers are now behind the San Diego Padres by one game. This weekend, both teams will face off in a highly anticipated series at Dodger Stadium.Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers star, expressed his frustration after Wednesday’s 6-5 loss at Angel Stadium. Ohtani started the game with a triple, driving in three runs in the first inning. On the mound, he was looking to complete five innings for the first time since his second ulnar collateral ligament repair. Despite having a 5-2 lead, the Angels responded with three consecutive hits, forcing Ohtani to leave after 80 pitches. The Dodgers’ injury-riddled bullpen couldn’t hold the lead, allowing the Angels to take the lead with a two-run single with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. The Dodgers have lost their six games against the Angels this season and are on a four-game losing streak, falling from first place in the West Division for the first time since April 27.Obviously, it doesn’t feel good to fall to second place and lose many of these games. We are doing everything in our power, having close meetings, doing everything we can to try to get things back on track. We just have to do a better job.
Shohei Ohtani
The series against the Padres, which will begin on Friday at Dodger Stadium, will mark the latest date in the season in which the Padres have led the West Division since September 25, 2010. The Padres arrive with a five-game winning streak, fueled by the health of their starting rotation and the acquisitions made at the trade deadline. In their last matchup, eight batters were hit by pitches in four games, including Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr. on consecutive nights. The last game was marked by an altercation between the managers. Mookie Betts downplayed the urgency of the upcoming series, which will be followed by three more games in San Diego from August 22 to 24. Wednesday’s performance marked the first time Ohtani pitched as a visitor at Angel Stadium and faced Mike Trout since he struck him out to secure the championship in the 2023 World Baseball Classic for Team Japan. Ohtani struck out Trout both times, and then called Angel Stadium “one of my favorite stadiums to play in.” Ohtani’s performance was marred by controversy, two days after news broke that he and his agent, Nez Balelo, are being sued by a Hawaii real estate investor and broker who alleges they were fired from a $240 million luxury housing development project. When asked if the lawsuit had been a distraction, Ohtani said: “I am focused on what the team is doing and doing everything I can to make sure we win on the field.”I think we’re constantly giving ourselves a chance to win. Right now, that’s what we can ask for. Obviously, we’d love to win all these games, but it just wasn’t in the cards, so we have to turn the page and get ready for San Diego.
Mookie Betts
