LOS ANGELES — The lights were bright, the energy was loud and for a moment Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium felt more like a celebration than the middle of the Dodgers’ worst stretch in nearly a century.
Before first pitch, Ice Cube brought the crowd to life on his bobblehead night, tossing out the ceremonial first pitch while being surprised by actor and comedian Mike Epps behind the plate as the mystery catcher. The atmosphere was electric. The Dodgers desperately needed something positive.
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Rapper, actor and producer Ice Cube reacts with comedian and actor Mike Epps after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dod...
For a few innings, it looked like they might finally get it. Then the Giants reminded everyone just how unforgiving this game can be.
The Dodgers dropped their fourth straight game Tuesday night, falling 6-2 to the rival San Francisco Giants, marking the first time since 1936 that the Dodgers have lost four consecutive games by four runs or more. A skid that once felt temporary is now beginning to feel heavy.
And unfortunately for the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto could not stop it.
This was not a disastrous outing from Yamamoto by traditional standards. In fact, parts of it looked closer to the ace version the Dodgers have been waiting to consistently see. He generated 15 whiffs, and punched out eight hitters over 6 1/3 innings.
But baseball games can swing on a few mistakes, and Yamamoto made three costly ones.
For the first time in his MLB career, Yamamoto allowed three home runs in a game, all to the bottom of the Giants lineup.
That alone told the story.
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San Francisco Giants center fielder Harrison Bader (9) celebrates with shortstop Willy Adames (2) after hitting a one run home run against Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto
No. 9 hitter Eric Haase tied the game in the third inning with a 393-foot solo shot to left. Two innings later, No. 8 hitter Harrison Bader launched another solo homer to even the game again at 2-2. The next batter, Haase struck again, going back-to-back with Bader to give San Francisco a lead it would never surrender.
The Dodgers entered the night hoping Yamamoto would stabilize a team spiraling through an ugly stretch. Instead, the Giants turned his few mistakes into the difference.
“This year, I tend to give up runs in the first inning, early in the game,” Yamamoto said postgame. “During practice, I was focusing on that issue.”
Ironically, the early innings were not the biggest problem Tuesday. Yamamoto largely settled in after the first, mixing sharp command with swing-and-miss stuff that resembled the pitcher the Dodgers envisioned when they brought him over from Japan.
But the Giants capitalized when it mattered most.
Yamamoto exited in the seventh inning with runners on first and third and one out after throwing 93 pitches. His final line eventually ballooned after the bullpen failed to clean up the mess: 6 1/3 innings, six hits, five earned runs, eight strikeouts and three home runs allowed.
Just like Monday night, the game unraveled late.
Dodgers’ Blake Treinen could not strand Yamamoto’s runners. One scored on a squeeze bunt before Jung Hoo Lee ripped a two-run double that suddenly stretched the Giants’ lead to 6-2 and silenced the crowd.
That was more than enough against a Dodgers offense that continues searching for consistency. The encouraging development came from Shohei Ohtani, who finally showed signs of breaking out of his slump.
Ohtani opened the game with a single to right field and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Will Smith. Then in the third inning, Ohtani crushed a solo home run to left field, his seventh of the season and his first since April 26 against the Cubs.
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Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) acknowledges the Dodgers bullpen and runs the bases after hitting a one run home run against San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Adrian House...
He finished 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk and looked far more comfortable at the plate than he has in recent days.
Dave Roberts called it “a really good night” offensively for Ohtani.
Yet even with Ohtani finally breaking through, the Dodgers’ offense disappeared after the third inning.
The Dodgers managed just four total hits Tuesday night. Their hitters from spots five through nine in the lineup combined to go 0-for-17. After Ohtani’s third-inning homer, the Dodgers did not record another hit until Kyle Tucker singled in the eighth.
Tucker, however, made it clear afterward that panic has not entered the clubhouse.
“We’re confident in our team,” Tucker said. “Nobody is freaking out.”
Tucker, who went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk, acknowledged the frustrations but emphasized that the opportunities are still there.
“I think we’ve had some pretty good opportunities; we just haven’t capitalized on it,” Tucker said.
Inside the clubhouse, the belief remains intact. Outside of it, the pressure is beginning to build.
The Dodgers now turn to Ohtani on Wednesday in hopes that he can stop the bleeding on the mound. But unlike most superstar pitchers, Ohtani’s workload continues to require careful management.
Roberts confirmed after Tuesday’s game that Ohtani will not hit while pitching Wednesday and is expected to sit Thursday as well, though he could be available off the bench.
Roberts said the decision had already been made before Ohtani’s offensive breakout Tuesday night.
“I’ve talked about the workload and I’ve talked to him at length about it,” Roberts said. “It’s tough on days he pitches. I don’t think it’s fair to the player just to assume, he threw out a couple knocks so he should be in there tomorrow. I don’t like playing that game.”
So the Dodgers will try to end a historic losing streak without their hottest bat in the lineup.
That is where things stand for the Dodgers right now. Even on a night when Ohtani rediscovered his swing and Yamamoto flashed pieces of dominance, the Dodgers still walked away searching for answers.