​LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani did exactly what the Dodgers have come to expect. On the very first pitch of Sunday’s first inning, he launched a leadoff homer into the seats, giving the Dodgers an immediate lead and briefly energizing a Dodger Stadium crowd hoping to avoid a sweep. It was Ohtani’s 22nd homer of the season and his ninth leadoff blast, another reminder that even as he manages discomfort in his left knee, he remains the lineup’s centerpiece. “I love the homer,” Dave Roberts said after the game.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, Sunday’s contest followed the same script that haunted them all weekend. The offense went dormant after jumping out to a 3-0 lead, the defense unraveled, and Arizona capitalized on every mistake to rally for a 5-3 victory, completing a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium and sending the Dodgers into the All-Star break with questions rather than momentum. At 61-36, after being outscored 23-8 by the Diamondbacks over the weekend, Los Angeles heads into the break with more questions than confidence.
Emmet Sheehan deserved a better fate. In what was his final start before the break, the right-hander ran through much of his turn with impressive stuff, striking out seven over 5⅓ innings and permitting only three hits on 101 pitches. A highlight came during a grueling 14-pitch battle with Ketel Marte that culminated in a strikeout, underscoring the sharp rendering of his arsenal on this afternoon. “It’s been better the last couple of weeks,” Sheehan said of his recent stretch, his tone reflecting a sense of progress and resolve.
Yet baseball games can pivot in an instant, and Sunday’s contest turned on a handful of defensive miscues. The D-Backs finally breached the scoreboard in the fifth with back-to-back doubles before Andy Pages misplayed a fly ball near the warning track, opening the door for Arizona to claw back into the game. Then came the sequence that ultimately defined the afternoon. With runners aboard in the sixth, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a slow roller to Max Muncy. Rather than attempting an inning-ending double play, Muncy threw home, but his throw struck Geraldo Perdomo in the back, allowing the tying run to score on an error. It was another costly defensive lapse for a club that has suddenly grown uncharacteristically sloppy.
The Dodgers have committed nine errors over their last five games, a stark departure from the fundamentally sound play that carried them through the first half. “Anything in front of you to your right, you go home. Anything to your left, you try to turn two,” Muncy explained afterward, underscoring the frustration and the need for a reset as the team approaches the break.