Sho-Time on the mound, Dodgers fall short in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Dodgers' offense failed to mount another comeback, falling to the Kansas City Royals, 9-5, on Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, where 36,578 fans were in attendance.

Shohei Ohtani made his third start of the season, pitching two innings during which he allowed one hit, one walk, and recorded one strikeout on 27 pitches. In the three games Ohtani has started, he has struck out in his first at-bat each time. On Saturday, he went 0-for-4 at the plate, striking out three times. Despite his hitless performance, his outing on the mound was his best so far this season.

Ohtani started the game strong, throwing his first pitch at 95 mph, followed by 98 mph on his second pitch, and reaching 100 mph on his third pitch. He faced Jonathan India, who led off by popping up to start the game. Bobby Witt Jr. then hit a single on the very first pitch he saw from Ohtani, which was a sweeper clocked at 82 mph. Maikel Garcia worked a walk after receiving four consecutive balls. With one out, Ohtani managed to induce Vinnie Pasquantino to ground into an inning-ending double play with a fastball that registered at 101.7 mph.

Ohtani's first pitch to end the inning reached a career-high 101.7 mph. His previous fastest pitch was 101.4 mph, thrown on September 10, 2022, to Houston's Kyle Tucker.

After throwing 14 pitches in the first inning, Ohtani returned to the mound for the second inning, marking his longest outing as a member of the Dodgers. He threw 13 pitches in the second inning, retiring the batters in order, with his only strikeout coming against Jac Caglianone.

Right-hander Ben Casparius followed Ohtani’s outing, but he had a rough start, giving up six runs in his first three innings. Garcia hit a double off an 86 mph sweeper from Casparius. In the fifth inning, India contributed with an RBI single, extending the score to 3-0. The highlight of the night was a massive three-run home run by Pasquantino, which traveled 430 feet over the center field wall.

Pasquantino wasn't finished yet; he hit a two-run double to right field in the seventh inning, extending the lead to 8-1. He finished the game with a 2-for-4 performance and five runs batted in. Salvador Perez then followed up with a deep RBI double to left-center off right-hander Luis Garcia, who had come in to relieve Casparius. In just one-third of an inning, Garcia allowed four hits and three earned runs on 23 pitches.

A positive sign for the Dodgers occurred in the seventh inning when Freddie Freeman hit his third single of the game, a 421-foot home run to center field. This marked his 10th home run of the season and his first since May 11 in Arizona. Despite this recent drought in home runs, Freeman still ranks second in the National League with a batting average of .312, just behind his teammate Will Smith, who is hitting .319 this season.

Hyeseong Kim, Max Muncy, and Freddie Freeman were the only Dodgers with hits through the first eight innings. It wasn't until the ninth inning that the Dodgers’ offense managed to collect more hits and runs. Three consecutive RBI hits from Muncy, Kiké Hernández, and Andy Pages cut the deficit to 9-5.

Right-hander Seth Lugo had an outstanding performance on the mound, pitching 5 ⅔ innings. He allowed four hits and five walks while striking out eight batters and not surrendering a run. Lugo, who has a record of 5-5 and a 2.74 ERA, maintained control throughout the game. He held Mookie Betts, Dalton Rushing, and Shohei Ohtani—the first, second, and ninth batters in the lineup—to a combined 0-for-12, with a total of seven strikeouts.

Casparius (6-2, 3.97 ERA) suffered the loss after pitching four innings, during which he allowed six runs on eight hits. The Dodgers' five-game winning streak has come to an end, while the Royals have ended their six-game losing streak. The Dodgers will play their final game of the road trip on Sunday afternoon before starting a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers have not yet announced a starting pitcher for Sunday's rubber match, while the Royals will counter with left-hander Kris Bubic (6-5, 2.18 ERA) as they aim to win two consecutive games against the defending champions.