HOUSTON — Like one sibling acting out when the other is getting too much attention, the Dodgers’ bullpen is starting to steal the spotlight from the starting rotation.
The relievers blew a five-run lead – sound familiar? – as the Houston Astros came back with seven runs in their final four turns at bat, beating the Dodgers 7-6 when Alex Bregman led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walkoff home run off Blake Treinen Saturday night.
It was the first time the Dodgers had blown a five-run lead and lost – since the last day before the All-Star break. That was the second of back-to-back walkoff losses as an overextended bullpen stumbled to the break.
Shohei Ohtani had another missile-launch home run and also scored two runs and drove in two as he and his backup band of Dodgers built a 5-0 lead through five innings.
Ohtani’s 32nd home run of the season came in the third inning off Astros starter Ronel Blanco and traveled an estimated 443 feet – which did not seem to do justice to a drive that entered earth orbit just to the right of the scoreboard in straightaway right field.
Ohtani’s latest blast left the bat at 118.7 mph. Only three players this season have hit balls harder – Oneill Cruz (121.5 mph), Giancarlo Stanton (120 mph) and …. Ohtani (his top end is 119.2 mph).
The rookie making his fourth career start allowed just two singles and a walk in the first five innings. None of the baserunners advanced beyond first.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts trusted Wrobleski enough to send him out for a sixth inning for the first time. Wrobleski gave up back-to-back singles to Chas McCormick and Jose Altuve to start the inning and Roberts trusted Wrobleski enough to let him face Alex Bregman and Yordan Alvarez.
Wrobleski got Bregman to hit a soft ground ball up the middle for a forceout. It was hit too softly to turn a double play. And he got Alvarez to line out to Teoscar Hernandez in left field, the runner at third base holding.
That was all the trust Roberts had. He brought in Evan Phillips to face the right-handed Yainer Diaz and the Dodgers’ five-run lead started melting away.
Phillips had given up seven runs on seven hits and three walks while in 3 ⅔ innings over his previous five appearances. Saturday was not the day it started to turn around for him.
The Astros closed the gap with four consecutive hits off Phillips who did not retire a batter before Roberts pulled him from the game. They were not all that well struck – Diaz’s single left the bat at 94.7 mph the next three at 65.5, 67.2 and 81.8. But the result was a one-run lead, 5-4.
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Anthony Banda got Jon Singleton on a fly out to stop the bleeding then retired the side in the seventh after Biggio had given him extra cushion with a solo home run in the top of the inning (with his father, Astros legend Craig Biggio, watching in the stands).
It wasn’t enough. Daniel Hudson gave it up in the eighth inning starting with a one-out triple that rattled off the odd outfield walls at Minute Maid Park and away from center fielder James Outman.
An infield single by Jeremy Pena drove him in. A walk and a wild pitch set up Jon Singleton to drive in the tying run with a single through the right side. The Astros loaded the bases against Hudson before Treinen came in and struck out Altuve to escape with the game tied.
That tie disappeared above the Crawford Boxes in left field just two pitches into the bottom of the ninth.