LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani pitched four dominant innings in what qualified as his best start this season, during which he struck out eight batters. He also clobbered his 39th home run, registering his 1,000th career hit in the process. But what should have been a banner day for the Los Angeles Dodgers was instead one of lament.
A two-run lead heading into the final four innings turned into a 5-3 defeat to a listless St. Louis Cardinals team Wednesday afternoon, the result of sloppy defense, an ineffective offense and more shoddy bullpen work. The Dodgers have now split their first six games in August and are just 13-17 since the start of July. Their division lead over the San Diego Padres, a team they'll play six times later this month, is down to 2½ games.
"Pretty frustrating," Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas said. "But we have to continue to move forward."
Ohtani took the mound seven days after exiting a start early because of cramping in his right hip and emphatically put concerns about his health to rest, allowing only two baserunners -- one on an infield pop-up that Rojas lost in the sun to begin the third inning, the other on a bunt single that allowed that runner to score.
Ohtani came to bat in the bottom half and gave himself a lead, launching a 109.5 mph two-run homer to the opposite field to make him the third Japanese-born player -- after Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui -- to reach the 1,000-hit milestone. He then took the mound again in the fourth and struck out the side, lowering his ERA to 2.37 through 19 innings. In what qualified as his eighth start since returning from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, Ohtani averaged a career-high 98.7 mph with his fastball, according to ESPN Research -- six of which clocked in at 100 mph.
"I thought it was a big day for me personally, getting to the fourth inning and pitching through it," Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said after reaching a season high in innings. "I think that was really good in terms of building up where I am."
The Dodgers held a 3-2 lead with two on and two out in the eighth, then put together a brutal sequence that ultimately cost them the game.
Jordan Walker lined a tying single to center and Andy Pages fired to third base in hopes of throwing out speedy Masyn Winn, instead allowing Walker to advance into second. Freeland, playing third base in place of a resting Max Muncy, caught the ball, then threw way wide of second base to allow the Cardinals to take the lead.
The Cardinals tacked on another run in the ninth off Brock Stewart, who allowed four of his first five batters to reach -- two nights after suffering the loss in Monday's series opener. The Dodgers nonetheless brought up the tying run in the form of Freeland, who had Ohtani on deck and the count in his favor at 3-1.
"I was trying to get Shohei up to bat," Freeland said. "Just move the line, get on base."
Instead, Freeland fouled off a 99 mph sinker on the outer edge of the strike zone, then saw the exact same pitch again and grounded out, handing the Dodgers a series loss to a Cardinals team that doesn't figure to be in the playoff race down the stretch.
The day began with concerns about the cramps that shortened Ohtani's previous outing and how the fatigue of pitching might be affecting his hitting, given his .207 batting average on start days this season. Ohtani put all that to rest, performing at an elite level despite the quick turnaround from a Tuesday night game. But a leaky bullpen again faltered. And the defensive mistakes -- an errant throw by Freeland, a ball lost in the sun by Rojas, a decision not to get the lead runner by Mookie Betts -- were magnified.
"Those are just little things that, if we're not swinging the bats really well, they show up," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of an offense that, despite coming off a 12-run barrage, has generated only a .687 OPS since the start of July.
"We're not playing great," Roberts added. "Expect to get better, but yeah, to start the second half, definitely not playing our best baseball."