Well, if there’s one thing the Diamondbacks made clear Thursday night, you’d better come correct if you’re facing them at Chase Field. This even rings true if you’re the mighty Dodgers of Major League Baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers took a rare stumble, falling 5-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks in a game that reminded everyone that the NL West still has a pulse outside of Hollywood. And yes, despite the loss, Shohei Ohtani continued to make baseball history.
Yamamoto Gets Tagged
Yoshinobu Yamamoto took the L, and it wasn’t pretty. Five innings, five earned runs, just four strikeouts—far from the standard he’s been setting. He now sits at 4-3 on the year, though his overall ERA is still a tidy 1.80, so let’s not start sounding alarms just yet. But for one night, Arizona figured him out.
Brandon Pfaadt, meanwhile, brought the heat—6.1 innings, zero runs, and just three hits allowed. If you’re looking for a turning point in this game, it’s the fact that the D-backs’ starter outdueled the guy who’s been borderline untouchable all year.
Ohtani Goes Deep, But the RBI Drought Continues
Now let’s talk about Shohei Ohtani—because how could we not? The man launched his 11th home run of the season, and while it wasn’t enough to get the W, it did make for some eye-popping trivia.
Get this: as of the end of the night, Ohtani ranked:
- T-4th in MLB in HR (11)
- T-5th in XBH (21)
- 4th in Total Bases (89)
- T-96th in RBI (16)
Yes, 96th. That’s not a typo. According to @OptaSTATS, he’s the first player in MLB history to rank in the top 5 in HR, XBH, and TB, but he still sits outside the top 90 in RBI in May or later. That’s since RBI became an official stat over 100 years ago.
Translation? The man is crushing the ball with no one on base. It’s both hilarious and a little frustrating if you’re in Dodger blue.
The Bigger Picture For the Dodgers
Despite the loss, the Dodgers are still sitting comfortably atop the NL West at 25-13. Ohtani’s playing like an MVP again, and he’s eyeing a return to the mound later this summer. If and when that happens, it’s going to add a nuclear boost to a Dodgers team already eyeing a repeat.
Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks improve to 20-18. They are still looking up at LA, but clearly are not rolling over either.
So yes, LA lost. Yes, Yamamoto bled a little. But as long as Shohei is doing Shohei things, this team is going to be dangerous all summer long.
