The Los Angeles Dodgers' offensive spark has died out recently. And it filed out at the most crucial of moments after getting back-to-back quality starts from the top of the starting rotation.
Tuesday's 3-1 loss was the unprecedented precursor to what Wednesday's outcome shaped out to be. With the lack of offense, the Dodgers drop the series against the San Francisco Giants and lose on Wednesday night 3-0.
Shohei Ohtani stepped onto the mound at Oracle Park for his fourth start of 2026. He showcased more evidence that he has his eyes on the Cy Young Award.
He began his outing efficiently, lighting up the radar gun. By the end of the game, he threw seven pitches hitting 100 miles per hour.
Though he was turning in scoreless frames after scoreless frames, he ran into his first true test of the evening in the sixth inning.
After giving up an infield single to Matt Chapman and then followed up by a Rafael Devers double down the right-field line, the Giants found themselves with a chance to score.
But with two outs and a 1-2 count, Ohtani got Casey Schmitt swinging on a sweeper away from the zone to escape the inning unscathed.
Ohtani generated 15 whiffs Wednesday night, nine of which came from his sweeper.
That Schmitt strikeout would be the way he capped off his outing. Six scoreless innings, only giving up two free passes, and striking out seven.
Once Ohtani departed from the mound, the Giants offense jumped on Jack Dreyer in the bottom of the seventh.
Jung Hoo Lee and Heliot Ramos led off the inning with back-to-back hits. Then, Patrick Bailey broke the scoring open with a mammoth three-run shot to left field.
That home run would be all she wrote for the Dodgers as they had just one more hit than they did in last night's loss.
Los Angeles drops to 16-8 and look to avoid the series sweep with Tyler Glasnow on the mound Thursday.
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