Shohei Ohtani had his best start as a pitcher on Tuesday, but the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen imploded in a 9-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ohtani issued just one walk and collected five strikeouts over five no-hit innings on an efficient 68 pitches. The Dodgers did not want to deviate from their plan for him, even though Ohtani conceivably could have pitched another an inning.
Justin Wrobleski took the mound in the sixth and retired his first batter before things began to unravel. He then allowed five consecutive hits, including a go-ahead three-run home run to Brandon Marsh, before being removed by manager Dave Roberts.
Edgardo Henriquez entered in relief for Wrobleski and added to the bullpen woes by giving up a solo home run to Max Kepler before recording the final out of the inning.
After the Dodgers were able to even the score in the eighth, Blake Treinen gave up the deciding home run to Rafael Marchán that helped the Phillies clinch a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Dodgers.
“I don’t know. My brain is kind of scrambled at the moment, to be honest with you,” Treinen answered after the game when asked why matters went south for him after recording two quick outs.
“I don’t really have a lot to dig into yet. I’ll have some time to look through it. Sometimes you look back and you try to understand what’s going on, you try to pinch yourself when things aren’t going well. A lot of us have had our moments this year, and sometimes there’s no words or reason to describe it.”
Treinen is among several Dodgers relievers who have struggled of late, as he owns a 9.53 ERA in 5.2 innings during the month of September (seven games).
The Dodgers’ bullpen as a whole has been saddled by inconsistency this season, and Roberts recently expressed hope that his key relievers will be able to turn things around in time for the playoffs.
Blake Treinen understands Dodgers fans’ frustrations
After another disastrous performance by the Dodgers bullpen, Treinen said the group is doing everything they can to right the ship.
“I know it’s frustrating for the fans,” Treinen began. “I can promise you from the bottom of our hearts, we’re trying our darndest every single night. There’s nothing we haven’t done, there’s no stone we haven’t overturned.
“It’s not an effort thing, it’s not a preparation thing. It is literally just sometimes things aren’t working. I wish for their sake, for our team, for our organization, ownership, that I’m better in my spots.
“Sometimes you just don’t have answers and you’ve just got to find something to cling to and keep plugging away every day. Reset your mind, reset your body, try to do the job you’re called to do.
“Obviously it’s been a frustrating stretch. … Trust me, it doesn’t hurt anybody more than us right now. This is not fun. But we’re really good at being resilient. I know it’s been a long season, but you have to understand what this team does year in and year out.
“We’re winners and we’re going to find a way to get that done.”
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