ANAHEIM — The Dodgers looked poised to snap their losing streak on Wednesday night at Angel Stadium, jumping out to an early lead behind a solid start from Shohei Ohtani. But the offense stalled, the bullpen faltered late, and the Angels capitalized, sending Los Angeles to its fourth straight loss in a frustrating 6–5 defeat.
Shohei Ohtani wasted no time making an impact in his return to Angel Stadium — this time in Dodger blue. In the top of the first, Ohtani ripped a leadoff triple and scored on Mookie Betts’ RBI single. Two batters later, Will Smith launched a two-run homer to left, putting the Dodgers ahead 3–0 before the Angels had recorded a single out.
Ohtani also looked sharp on the mound early, striking out four through the first two innings and fanning Mike Trout twice. Even after Taylor Ward’s solo shot and a sacrifice fly cut the lead to 3–2 in the second, Ohtani appeared in control.
The Dodgers padded their lead in the fourth when Betts delivered his second RBI single and Smith worked a bases-loaded walk to make it 5–2. But from there, the offense went quiet.
Over the final five innings, Los Angeles failed to deliver in big spots, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position after the fourth. Andy Pages nearly broke it open in the seventh, but Angels center fielder Bryce Teodosio robbed him with a highlight-reel catch at the wall.
After four strong innings, Ohtani began to show signs of fatigue in the fifth. The Angels cut the deficit to 5–4 on Zach Neto’s two-run double, chasing Ohtani from the game after 4 1/3 innings, six strikeouts, and two earned runs allowed. Anthony Banda and Justin Wrobleski kept the lead intact into the eighth, but the bullpen couldn’t hold it.
In the bottom of the eighth, Edgardo Henriquez entered with two on and one out. A deflected infield single loaded the bases, and though Henriquez struck out Luis Rengifo for the second out, Logan O’Hoppe lined a two-run single to center to give the Angels their first lead of the night.
Kenley Jansen closed the door in the ninth, setting the Dodgers down in order and handing them a gut-punch loss.
Where Things Stand
The loss drops the Dodgers to 68–52 and, with the Padres winning, bumps Los Angeles into second place in the NL West. The club has now lost four straight, squandering multiple opportunities to build momentum in the division race.
They’ll get a much-needed day off Thursday before returning home for a critical weekend series against the first-place Padres. While starters haven’t been officially announced, it’s likely the Dodgers will roll out Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow.
With the division lead now gone, the margin for error is shrinking. The Dodgers will need more than quick starts — they’ll need sustained offense, clutch hitting, and a bullpen ready to lock games down — if they want to reclaim the top spot in the West.
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