Dropping a game to a team with half your wins cuts twice as deep. In the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 3-8 loss to the last-place Colorado Rockies, Shohei Ohtani gave up five earned runs—most since July 2022—and allowed nine hits —career high—across four innings. One of those hits was a line drive off Orlando Arcia that hit straight into Ohtani’s right thigh.

After a brief mound visit by Dave Roberts and the training staff, Ohtani stayed in the game and got the last two outs of the inning. By the eighth inning, the impact of the hit by pitch lingered. Soon enough, Ohtani was pulled for pinch hitter Alex Call. Before that, Ohtani finished with a double and a walk to extend his on-base streak to 18 games. Still, greater damage had been done.

During the post-game media appearance, it was reflected when Roberts didn’t shy away from calling out Ohtani and team struggles altogether. “I just don’t think Shohei had his best stuff. You know, it’s just the fastball wasn’t as good as it typically is, the breaking ball wasn’t as sharp and so the cutter had the same thing,” Roberts sounded disappointed in Ohtani’s pitching.

He threw 66 pitches, 49 for strikes, against the Rockies, and he entered into Wednesday’s game with a 3.47 ERA.

Further, Roberts criticized the whole team as well. “This was baffling in the sense of, with the guys that we have that we’re running out there, just to see the inconsistencies…this is going to be one we have to really wash away,” he said after watching defensive lapses pile up from his team.

It included a bad throw from Michael Conforto that was clanked by shortstop Miguel Rojas. It was followed by Andy Pages firing off a sloppy throw to third. And finally, Roberts’ ultimatum was pretty simple. “There’s nothing I can do to change it. We gotta win tomorrow.”

With one last three-game set against the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers look forward to holding onto the same momentum that helped them sweep the division rivals just last week. On the plus side, Roberts also confirmed the much-needed bullpen duo to return in the must-win Padres series.

Dodgers’ $85 million bullpen duo to make a comeback on Friday

During the post-game appearance on Wednesday, Roberts said he was “hopeful” and “confident” that Ohtani would be back in the lineup for Friday’s game against the San Diego Padres. However, he also mentioned that Ohtani was “getting stiff” before exiting the game.

It was the second time Ohtani was hit in the same spot, as he himself admitted. That’s certainly concerning, given that the weekend series is just a day apart. He will get a day off on Thursday, and hopefully it will help the reigning NL MVP.

As the Dodgers look to play the Padres, there is some relieving news for the bullpen. The club is expecting to get Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates back this weekend against the Padres. According to Dave Roberts, both of them will “probably not” make another rehab start. They are expected to join the Dodgers at some point this weekend in San Diego, per Bill Plunkett.

The Dodgers swept the Padres last weekend and hope to do the same this weekend, but again it will be more difficult on the road.