Dodgers’ bullpen squanders Shohei Ohtani’s dominant outing

PHOENIX — The Dodgers’ only hope to solve their potentially fatal bullpen issues might be to clone Shohei Ohtani so he can pitch out of their bullpen as well as start games in the postseason.

Looking every bit like a Game 1 starter, Ohtani dominated the Arizona Diamondbacks for six scoreless innings, allowing just five hits while striking out eight on Tuesday night.

Pushing Ohtani through six innings for the first time since his second Tommy John surgery still left three innings for the Dodgers’ bullpen to foul things up. And they did, surrendering a four-run lead and losing, 5-4, on Geraldo Perdomo’s walk-off single in the ninth inning.

The Dodgers’ 11th walk-off loss of the season was set up by rookies Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez surrendering three runs in the seventh inning but ended – as it seemingly always does – with Tanner Scott serving up the decisive hit. Perdomo’s was the fourth walk-off hit Scott has allowed in his past five appearances on the road.

“For this to happen, it sucks,” Scott said after his 10th blown save of the season. “It’s gotta end with tonight.”

If the Dodgers’ bullpen had just been neutral over the past month, the division race would have ended a week (or more) ago. Now, their lead over the second-place San Diego Padres has shrunk to 1½ games with five games left in the regular season. The Dodgers’ magic number to clinch the National League West title is still three.

“We’re going to have to find a way,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, surveying the wreckage after the 15th of the Dodgers’ past 22 losses was charged to a reliever. “I just see just careful. 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. Because when you pitch behind and are afraid to make a mistake, hang a breaking ball, that’s when bad things happen. Not each individual guy but I think as a whole, that’s what I’m seeing. Hitters can smell that.”

Desperate times will tempt them to desperate measures.

Roki Sasaki, whose entire bullpen experience is two innings at Triple-A Oklahoma City last week, will come off the injured list on Wednesday and audition for a potential postseason role in the bullpen.

Clayton Kershaw was in the visitor’s bullpen for the late innings Tuesday and will be available to pitch in relief Wednesday. Kershaw is scheduled to make his final regular-season start on Sunday in Seattle. Wednesday would be his “throw day” – the day between starts when a pitcher throws a bullpen session. He will do it in the game against the Diamondbacks instead.

“He’s definitely a realistic option,” Roberts said of Kershaw, who does not figure to start a game during the best-of-three Wild Card Series next week.

“I think he’s earned the right. He’s open to it. And just kind of where we’re at, we’ve got to get the best guys to get outs. So if Clayton is viable – and he’s viable – then we’re gonna use him. That’s just kind of where we’re at. We’ve had almost six months to make decisions and see where things go. … Guys have got to do their job. You have to do your job. I can’t put it any more nice.”

Roberts said Kershaw came to him with the idea of pitching out of the bullpen.

“I think that anything should be on the table with covering innings down there,” Roberts said.

Ohtani won’t be an option to pitch out of the bullpen – at least not this week.

He finished his return to the mound this season by pitching 14⅔ scoreless innings over his last three starts with hitters going 8 for 51 (.157) with 18 strikeouts in those games – including his five no-hit innings against the Philadelphia Phillies last week. He got 16 swings-and-misses on Tuesday, including nine on a four-seam fastball that topped out at 101.2 mph.

Ohtani retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, six on strikeouts. The only hit was a 105.8 mph liner back at Ohtani by Alek Thomas. Ohtani got his glove down in time to take most of the drive near his hip off the heel of his glove. It deflected away for a hit, but Ohtani struck out the side after that.

Ketel Marte led off the fourth inning with the second hit off Ohtani who then struck out the next two batters and got an inning-ending forceout. Those were Ohtani’s last strikeouts of the night and the Diamondbacks got to him for another single in the fifth and two in the sixth.

He got Gabriel Moreno to fly out to center field to end the sixth inning on his 91st pitch of the night. It was the most he had thrown – and the first time he had pitched into a sixth inning – since he threw 97 pitches in six innings against the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 9, 2023.

“I thought he was taxed,” Roberts said. “I think the running of the bases (in the top of the sixth), that sixth up, you could see him trying to manage his breathing. But he was tactical. It was good. I thought he left it all out there tonight, which we certainly needed. I feel good about him getting through the sixth inning. That’s something for us to build on. And Shohei was fantastic. He was fantastic tonight.”

He left the mound with a 3-0 lead thanks to Teoscar Hernandez. Hernandez led off the second inning with a home run. In the sixth, Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt walked Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman then gave up a two-out, two-run triple to Hernandez.

Ben Rortvedt added a solo home run in the seventh inning. It wasn’t enough.

Dreyer and Henriquez (who gave up a two-run home run to pinch-hitter Adrian del Castillo) made it a one-run game in the seventh inning. Alex Vesia waked two in the eight but stranded the tying run at third.

Scott had made four scoreless appearances since giving up a walk-off grand slam to Patrick Bailey in San Francisco. But he hit Vargas in the foot with a 2-and-2 pitch then walked Tim Tawa. After a sacrifice bunt, Jorge Barrosa tied the score with a sacrifice fly, bringing up Perdomo with two outs.

Trying to diagnosis Scott’s poor season, the Dodgers have said Scott has become too predictable, both in location and pitch selection. He threw 18 sliders and only three fastballs in the ninth inning Tuesday.

“He has a good fastball. I don’t know why he doesn’t use it more,” Perdomo said after lashing a slider into left field to win the game. “I saw the at-bat against Vargas, he threw six of seven sliders. I said he’s going to throw the same thing to me. He threw a ton of sliders, I don’t know why. I was ready for that slider.”

Roberts said recently that he is seeing “a crisis of confidence” among his relievers. Tuesday night certainly won’t help.

“We’ve talked about it,” Roberts said. “When you’re out on the mound, you’re the guy on the mound with the ball. You’ve got to find a way to have that conviction within yourself each time. I can continue to support them but I’ve got to find some guys that are going to pitch with conviction and go out there and compete and bet on those guys.

“Our starters can’t go nine every night. We’re looking for some guys to step up. We need it. We need these guys.”