LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers came home from the best road trip of their season and picked up right where they left off, for one swing anyway. Shohei Ohtani sent a pitch into the left field pavilions at Dodger Stadium for a solo home run, and for a few minutes it looked like the Mariners might be in for a long night. They weren’t. Seattle answered with power all night long, getting five home runs, two of them from Dominic Canzone. The Dodgers had chance after chance to put this one away, and stranded the tying run 90 feet from home in the ninth, falling 7-6 in a series opener that had no business being this close.
Justin Wrobleski Can’t Keep the Ball in the Yard
The homestand opened with some good news off the field, Kiké Hernández was activated from the injured list after working back from an oblique injury. On the mound, Wrobleski couldn’t find an answer for the middle of Seattle’s order. He went six innings and struck out seven, but four of the five home runs the Dodgers allowed on the night came off his arm, and the good feeling from Ohtani’s first-inning shot didn’t last long once the middle innings turned into a slugfest.
Brock Stewart relieved him in the seventh and was tagged with the loss in his outing, giving up a run before the bullpen settled in behind him.
A Home Run Battle With No Winner
Ohtani’s blast held up for exactly one inning. Cal Raleigh tied it with a solo shot in the second, and the scoreboard turned into a track meet from there. Julio Rodríguez put Seattle back in front with a solo homer in the fourth, and two batters later Rob Refsnyder made it 4-2 with a two-run blast of his own.
Los Angeles answered before the inning even ended. Mookie Betts singled to start the bottom half, Tommy Edman ripped a double to bring him around, and Ohtani lined a single to center two batters later to tie it at four.
Max Muncy put the Dodgers back in front with a solo shot in the fifth, and Canzone tied it right back up with the first of his two homers in the sixth. Neither team could find separation, and the game kept sliding through Los Angeles’ fingers.
A Costly Miscue Sets Up Seattle’s Go-Ahead Blast
The Dodgers had the Mariners on the ropes in the seventh. Freddie Freeman reached to lead off the inning on a throwing error by Seattle reliever José A. Ferrer, putting the go-ahead run aboard with nobody out. Muncy grounded into a double play instead, erasing the runner, and Betts lined out to strand the inning empty.
Seattle made sure the missed chance cost Los Angeles. Rodríguez singled to open the eighth, and Alex Vesia came on in relief to face Canzone with a runner aboard. Rodríguez stole second before Canzone turned around a pitch and drove it out to center for his second homer of the night, scoring Rodríguez and putting the Mariners back in front for good at 7-5.
Ninth-Inning Rally Comes Up Just Short
Los Angeles gave itself one more shot. Dalton Rushing led off the ninth with a single off closer Andrés Muñoz, and Ohtani followed with a double to right that scored Rushing and, after a fielding error extended the play, put Ohtani himself at third with the tying run. That’s where the Dodgers ran out of magic. Andy Pages struck out, Freeman grounded out, and after Muncy drew a walk and stole second, Betts grounded out to end it with the tying run standing 90 feet away. It was the story of the whole night. Los Angeles finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position, and every time the Dodgers needed one more hit to turn the game, the Mariners found a way to get the out instead.
Up Next
The Dodgers turn the page quickly. Eric Lauer takes the mound against Emerson Hancock in game two Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PST. After giving up five home runs and stranding too many chances to count, Los Angeles will look to tighten things up on both sides of the ball and even the series before it heads into the finale.
