The Dodgers head into Thursday night trying to stop the bleeding against the Cardinals, and the bigger concern may be what’s happening with Shohei Ohtani.
Los Angeles has already dropped the first two games of the series in rough fashion. The opener got away in a 13-run loss, and Wednesday turned into another gut punch after the Dodgers let a 5-2 lead slip and fell 8-6 in 10 innings. That leaves them 26-27 since July 1 and sitting as the No. 3 seed in the National League, which would send them to the wild-card round.
Freddie Freeman tried to steady the mood after Wednesday’s loss, pointing to the group’s experience and what he believes is still ahead for this club. “We've been through everything, we've seen everything,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said after Wednesday's game.
“We've had our backs against the wall and had to win games when we've needed to. It's a very resilient group, and you're starting to see some life out of the offense, so I think good things are ahead.”
He added, “You do have to take a step back,” he added. “We are 25-plus games over .500, we are back-to-back World Series champions, we are a great team. Great teams go through it, and we’ll be all right.
Thursday’s pitching matchup brings Tarik Skubal back to the mound for Los Angeles in his first start since last week’s emotional return to Detroit. In five starts with the Dodgers this season, Skubal has posted a 3.00 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 30 innings.
Manager Dave Roberts thinks the Detroit trip may have closed the book on the emotional part of Skubal’s transition. He’s expecting more from the reigning two-time Cy Young award winner from here on out.
“There was a lot of heavy heart, emotions. So I think this was the last box he had to check," Roberts said.
"I think he’s got four or five starts with us. So now we can push forward and all feel good about it.”
The Cardinals will counter with Quinn Mathews, who made his MLB debut on Aug. 1 and has only four big league starts to his name. Mathews is 1-2 with a 5.03 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 19.2 innings. In Triple-A this year, he logged 21 starts, a 3.27 ERA and 120 strikeouts across 99 innings.
The most immediate Dodgers storyline, though, is Ohtani. He’s out of the lineup after striking out four times Wednesday night and being seen wincing and shaking out his arm. Roberts suggested the star could get at least a day off, and possibly longer, as his offense has dipped during his attempt to return to pitching.
“I've seen it over the last couple weeks, where he hasn't been who he is,” Roberts said. “Obviously, there’s some compensation. So, I’m going to talk to him."
Roberts also made clear that the conversation will be about balancing Ohtani’s competitive drive with what the team is seeing on the field. “I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup.
If he's upright, he should play. I respect that," Roberts added.
"But if he's feeling the way that visibly looks, then really not helping anyone. So that's the conversation I'll have with him."
First pitch between the Dodgers and Cardinals on Thursday, Sept. 3 is set for 7:10 p.m. PT/10:10 p.m.
ET. The game will air on SportsNet LA and in the MLB app, with radio coverage on AM570 in English and KTNQ 1020 AM in Spanish.
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