Ohtani Shined, But the Dodgers’ Bullpen Fails Again
In an emotional encounter, Shohei Ohtani demonstrated his worth on the mound, but the Dodgers’ bullpen was again the weak point, sealing a defeat against the Phillies. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts took advantage of the brief moment between the end of Ohtani’s fifth inning as a pitcher and his turn at bat to gather information. Ohtani had dominated the Phillies, one of the league’s strongest teams, with only 68 pitches in five innings. Although the sixth inning represented uncharted territory after his recent recovery, Roberts decided to stick to the initial plan. Despite Ohtani’s affirmative response regarding his physical condition, Roberts maintained the pre-established decision.Ohtani, who struck out five batters and allowed only one runner on base in the first five innings, was replaced. Reliever Justin Wrobleski couldn’t hold the 4-run lead, allowing the Phillies to take the lead. Later, Ohtani hit his 50th home run, but Blake Treinen gave up a decisive home run to Rafael Marchan, ensuring the Dodgers’ 9-6 defeat. Roberts explained that the decision to take Ohtani out was based on a prior plan and the importance of protecting the player upon his return. The manager did not want to risk the player’s physical integrity, considering that Ohtani is fundamental to the team. The defeat exposed the Dodgers’ bullpen weaknesses and raised questions about how Ohtani will be managed in the playoffs.“I wasn’t going to go back out there. We’ve been very firm in every situation as far as the entries we would use — one to five. We haven’t deviated from that. I was trying to take his pulse for the future, where he’s at, to go on to the sixth inning. And he says, ‘I feel good.’ That was good. But I’m not going to have a plan for five innings, and then he pitches well and say, ‘Hey, now you’re going to go for six innings.’ It’s too important. And if something happens, then that’s on me for changing it. We haven’t done it all year, so I’m not going to do it right now. I would have loved for him to go out there. But if our conversation was, ‘If he’s efficient, he can go to the sixth inning,’ that’s a different conversation. But it was five tough innings. That’s how it goes, and the guys have to do their job,” Roberts commented.
Dave Roberts
