They almost did it again.
The Dodgers nearly produced their second miracle in as many nights, their 3-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night ending with the tying run on third base.
In their series-opening walk-off win the previous night, the Dodgers scored three runs in the ninth inning to reverse a two-run deficit.
The two-run surge on Saturday night was started by Shohei Ohtani, who returned to the lineup after a one-day absence for the birth of his second child.
Ohtani led off the ninth inning by running into a down-the-middle fastball by Andrew Kittredge and sending it over the center field wall to reduce his team’s deficit to 3-1.
Freddie Freeman drew a one-out walk, leading the Orioles to replace Kittredge with Yannier Cano.
But Mookie Betts reached base on an infield single and Freeman scored on right fielder Leony Tavares’ error on a line drive by Tommy Edman. Betts advanced to third base on the play, only for Kyle Tucker to end the game with a strikeout.
The Dodgers spent most of the game frustrated by Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers, who held them to one hit over the first seven innings of the game.
The runner-up for the National League rookie of the year award in 2021 with the Miami Marlins, Rogers has endured several injuries over his up-and-down seven-year career.
Rogers was spectacular last season, posting a 9-3 record and 1.81 earned-run average in 18 starts. His ERA established a new single-season Orioles record for pitchers with 100 or more innings.
The performance led to Rogers being named the Orioles’ opening-day starter this year, but the former first-round draft pick entered his start against the Dodgers with a 5.86 ERA.
He’d also lost seven of his previous eight decisions.
But the Dodgers couldn’t figure him out.
The Dodgers got their first and only hit against Rogers with two outs in the fifth inning, a bloop single to center field by Tommy Edman.
Only two others reached base against Rogers, and they both did so on walks.
What it means
A day after his wife gave birth to their second child, Ohtani was back hitting leadoff for the Dodgers.
Ohtani homered in the ninth inning but didn’t have much luck against Rogers. He popped up in his first at-bat, struck out in his second and grounded out in his third.
With Ohtani throwing in the outfield before the game, manager Dave Roberts said he expected the two-way player to make his scheduled start as a pitcher on Wednesday in Minnesota.
When Ohtani’s first child was born last year, Roberts gifted the family a miniature pink Porsche for the girl.
Reminded of that, Roberts said, “I gotta give a baby gift. Good point. I gotta figure something out.”
Who’s hot
Spending nearly the entire season up to this point rehabilitating his surgically-repaired right ankle, Edman was activated this week from the 60-day injured list.
This game counted as his third start since his return.
The early indications are that his ankle is holding up well. A day after collecting three hits in the series opener on Friday night, Edman had another multi-hit game. He followed up his single against Rogers in the fifth inning with another single in the eighth, this one off right-hander Rico Garcia.
Who’s not
In his start since his almost-perfect game against the Chicago White Sox, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was considerably more human.
He gave up hits to the first two batters of the second inning and repeated the mistake in the fourth.
That cost him.
Leony Tavares scored the first run of the game in the second inning when Coby Mayo grounded into a fielder’s choice.
A double down the third-base line by Blaze Alexander drove in two runs in the fourth inning, at the end of which Yamamoto’s pitch count reached 70.
Yamamoto managed to complete six innings. He was charged with three runs, six hits and two walks. He struck out six.
Yamamoto’s record dropped to 7-5 and his ERA went up to 2.65.
Up next
The Dodgers and Orioles will conclude their three-game series on Sunday. Emmet Sheehan (3-4, 4.67 ERA) will start for the Dodgers, opposite right-hander Brandon Young (3-1, 3.67) of the Orioles.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
