Sheehan delivers steady start, Ohtani contributes a hit, but Dodgers bullpen falters, missing sweep of Mets

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan provided a steady performance at Citi Field. He departed with a 3–1 advantage, seemingly putting the Dodgers in a winning spot. But the bullpen's abrupt meltdown gave him his eighth no-decision of the year as the Mets rallied for an 8–3 victory.

The sixth inning was the game's pivotal moment. Left-hander Jack Dreyer faced three batters to start the frame, issuing two walks. The Dodgers quickly brought in right-hander Evan Phillips to clean up the mess, but he surrendered a three-run homer to Tyrone Taylor, giving the Mets a 4–3 lead in an instant.

Since returning from Tommy John surgery on July 7, Phillips has allowed five runs over 6.2 innings. Manager Dave Roberts said after the game that he put Phillips in out of trust. After all, Phillips has been with the Dodgers for more than five seasons and has been a key contributor, such as in 2022 when he appeared in 64 games with a 1.14 ERA.

"But obviously he has some work to do—he needs to shake off some rust. Right now, I have to put him in different situations to help him get his footing and find his groove again," Roberts said.

Just one inning later, the Mets extended their lead. Dodgers right-hander Will Klein was hammered on the mound, and Marcus Semien crushed a three-run homer to blow the game wide open.

Roberts offered no excuses for the bullpen's poor performance. "The bullpen has to get ahead in counts. There are too many walks right now," the manager emphasized. "The bullpen hasn't been used much, so everyone should be fresh. To reach our goals, we have to be better."

In fact, Sheehan's effort gave the Dodgers a chance to win, which should not be overlooked. Before the game, Roberts was still trying to figure out why Sheehan had been inconsistent in his recent starts. Coming into this game, Sheehan's ERA was 5.13.

"It's not about preparation, attitude, or training. But given our current situation in the rotation, I'm sure he wants to keep the momentum going," Roberts said. "For me, I expected him to pitch a few good innings today."

Roberts certainly saw the good pitches Sheehan threw. He allowed just one run over five innings. The first inning started with a situation that made it seem like Sheehan might not last three outs. The first three batters—A.J. Ewing, Francisco Lindor, and Bo Bichette—all reached base, with Lindor delivering an RBI single. But after Bichette's hit, Sheehan quickly settled down, retiring 15 of the next 18 batters he faced.

"I think Emmet did a good job. His pitch count was high, and he struggled a bit, but the way he battled back in the third, fourth, and fifth innings was impressive," Roberts assessed. "For me, it was tough to let him go through the sixth. We had our bullpen order set. But as for Emmet, he put us in a position to win."

Sheehan himself didn't like the slow start, but was satisfied with how he finished his outing. "The first-inning situation is something I've been working on all year, trying to keep things from snowballing," Sheehan said. "I was a bit off in the first inning. But I was able to adjust and lock in the score. Of course, putting us in a hole is never good. I tried to hold the line, and I felt I did well."

Today's loss cannot erase the fact that the Dodgers swept all three series during this post-All-Star road trip. Overall, they finished the trip with a 6-3 record and will now return to Los Angeles, where they will host the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.

"It was a long trip with a lot of moving parts and compressed days off," first baseman Freddie Freeman said. "So I think we played really good baseball the entire trip. I can't wait to get home."

Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a hit today and was replaced by a pinch hitter later in the game after the score was blown open.