Dodgers bullpen spoils Ohtani's 5 no-hit IP, 50th HR

LOS ANGELES -- In the little infinitesimal betwixt erstwhile Shohei Ohtani completed his 5th inning of no-hit shot arsenic a pitcher and prepared to pb disconnected the adjacent half-inning arsenic a hitter, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seized connected an accidental to stitchery intel.

Ohtani had required lone 68 pitches Tuesday nighttime to accumulate 18 outs against the Philadelphia Phillies, who diagnostic 1 of the sport's astir imposing lineups. The sixth inning qualified arsenic uncharted territory successful his instrumentality from a 2nd elbow repair. But erstwhile Roberts asked Ohtani however helium felt, the two-way prima answered successful the affirmative.

It didn't matter.

Ohtani exited arsenic a pitcher, past watched arsenic rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski surrendered a four-run pb to a drawstring of 5 batters. Three innings later, aft Ohtani clobbered his 50th location run, Blake Treinen surrendered a game-winning three-run homer to No. 9-hitting backup catcher Rafael Marchan, handing the Dodgers different nonaccomplishment successful different back-and-forth crippled against the Phillies. This past one, decided by a 9-6 score, formed much uncertainty connected the team's bullpen and raised further questions astir however agelong the Dodgers mightiness propulsion Ohtani successful October.

Roberts said helium lone asked Ohtani however helium felt successful the mediate of the 5th due to the fact that helium wanted to cod accusation "for the future."

The contiguous had already been decided.

"He wasn't gonna spell backmost out," Roberts said. "We've been precise steadfast successful each concern arsenic acold arsenic inning for his usage -- from 1 inning to 2 to 3 to 4 to five. We haven't deviated from that. So I was trying to get his pulse for going forward, wherever he's at, continuing to spell to the sixth inning. And helium says, 'Feel OK.' That was good. But I'm not gonna person a program for 5 innings, and past helium pitches good and say, 'Hey, present you're gonna spell for six innings.' He's excessively important. And if thing does happen, past that's connected maine for changing it.

"We haven't done that each year, truthful I'm not gonna bash that close now. I would've loved to person had him spell retired there. But if our speech was, 'If he's efficient, helium tin spell to the sixth inning,' that's a antithetic conversation. But it was a hard 5 innings. That's conscionable the mode it goes, and guys gotta bash their jobs."

Ohtani struck retired 5 and allowed conscionable 1 baserunner -- connected a first-inning locomotion to Bryce Harper -- done the archetypal 5 innings against a Phillies squad that clinched the National League East connected Monday and boasts the majors' highest OPS since the commencement of August. His fastball averaged 99.2 mph. His sweeper, Roberts said, "was great." Ohtani was starting for the archetypal clip successful 11 days but hadn't completed 5 innings since Aug. 27. That commencement saw him scope a season-high 87 pitches, 19 much than helium threw connected Tuesday.

"As a player, I bash privation to transportation arsenic agelong arsenic possible," Ohtani said done an interpreter. "But I besides recognize and respect the determination that the beforehand bureau and the manager makes."

That decision, Roberts insisted, had been predetermined.

"This is simply a antithetic situation," Roberts said. "It's been antithetic this full year. He's 2 players successful one. So for maine to bash thing and deviate, and if thing happens, past we suffer 2 players. And truthful if the speech isn't had, I'm not gonna bash it. We haven't done it each year, so, I'm not gonna bash it tonight."

Instead, Wrobleski inherited a 4-0 pb and promptly surrendered it. Marchan, Harr...