Dodgers limp into All-Star break after D-Backs complete sweep despite another Ohtani homer
· Yahoo Sports
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani did exactly what the Dodgers have come to expect.
On the very first pitch of Sunday's first inning, Ohtani launched a leadoff home run into the seats, giving the Dodgers an instant lead and briefly energizing a Dodger Stadium crowd hoping to avoid a sweep.
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It was Ohtani's 22nd home run of the season and his ninth leadoff homer, another reminder that even while managing irritation in his left knee, Ohtani continues to be the man in the lineup.
"I love the homer," Dave Roberts said afterward.
Shohei Ohtani CRUSHES the first pitch he sees for a leadoff homer 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ibjRDtInkS
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2026
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Sunday's game followed the same script that haunted them all weekend.
The offense disappeared after jumping out to a 3-0 lead, the defense unraveled, and Arizona capitalized on every mistake to rally for a 5-3 victory, completing a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium and sending the Dodgers into the All-Star break searching for answers.
At 61-36, after being outscored 23-8 by the Diamondbacks over the weekend, they head into the break with more questions than momentum.
Emmet Sheehan deserved a better outcome.
Making his final start before the break, the right-hander was outstanding through much of his outing. He struck out seven hitters over 5⅓ innings, allowing just three hits while throwing 101 pitches. One of the highlights came during a grueling 14-pitch battle with Ketel Marte that ended with a strikeout, showcasing the sharp stuff Sheehan displayed throughout the afternoon.
"It's been better the last couple of weeks," Sheehan said of his recent stretch.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) pitches during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.William Liang-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) pitches during the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
But baseball games can change in an instant, and Sunday's turned on a handful of defensive miscues.
The D-Backs finally broke through in the fifth with back-to-back doubles before Andy Pages dropped a fly ball near the warning track, opening the door for the Diamondbacks to claw back into the game.
Then came the sequence that ultimately defined the afternoon.
With runners aboard in the sixth inning, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a slow roller to Max Muncy. Rather than attempting an inning-ending double play, Muncy fired home, but his throw struck Geraldo Perdomo in the back, allowing the tying run to score on an error.
this game is now TIED after a Muncy error. pic.twitter.com/5nG9BEkeEZ
— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) July 12, 2026
It was another costly defensive mistake for a club that has suddenly become uncharacteristically sloppy.
The Dodgers have committed nine errors over their last five games, a glaring departure from the fundamentally sound baseball that carried them through the first half.
"Anything in front of you to your right, you go home. Anything to your left, you try to turn two," Muncy explained afterward while discussing his decision on the play.
Roberts' bullpen gamble also backfired. After removing Sheehan in the sixth, Roberts turned to one of his most trusted relievers in Edgardo Henriquez. This time, however, the move didn't pay off.
Henriquez surrendered the go-ahead RBI single that gave the D-Backs its first lead of the afternoon and ultimately suffered his first loss of the season.
The Dodgers never answered.
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Tommy Edman (25) hits an RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Dodger Stadium.William Liang-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Tommy Edman (25) hits an RBI double against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Dodger Stadium.
After Tommy Edman's two-run single gave the Dodgers a 3-0 advantage early, the offense simply vanished. The Dodgers collected just two hits over the first three innings, both from Ohtani, and Edman's RBI single accounted for their final hit of the afternoon.
The Diamondbacks retired the Dodgers without another hit the rest of the way.
"We just didn't take good at-bats," Roberts said.
"When you get opportunities to cash in a run, we have to be better."
The offensive drought was only part of the story.
Arizona played cleaner baseball, executed in key situations and continued to get unlikely production from one of the hottest hitters of the weekend.
Tim Tawa entered the series without a home run this season.
He left Los Angeles with three.
Tawa capped off his remarkable weekend by launching another home run in the ninth inning off Evan Phillips, giving him three homers and seven RBIs over the three-game series while becoming an unexpected thorn in the Dodgers' side.
Sometimes baseball's biggest stars determine a series.
This weekend, it was an unlikely role player.
Roberts didn't shy away from acknowledging which team played with greater urgency.
"At the end of the day, they outplayed us," Roberts said. "They wanted it more, that's just the truth. Every game matters and we didn't play well the last five or six days. You're facing a team who is fighting for their lives and it showed in this series."
Roberts also pointed directly to the Dodgers' recent defensive struggles.
"Some mental lapses, some physical lapses," Roberts said. "Something that we've been really good at is not giving away games because of our defense. This last week it's just been below average for sure."
That's perhaps the biggest concern heading into the break.
The Dodgers remain in an excellent position atop the National League standings, and no one inside the clubhouse is going to overreact to one bad weekend.
But championship-caliber teams don't typically beat themselves.
This series was filled with defensive mistakes, missed scoring opportunities and momentum-changing errors, areas that have defined the Dodgers' success for years because they usually avoid them.
Ohtani supplied another electric start. Sheehan gave the Dodgers a quality outing. Neither was enough.
Instead, the Dodgers head into the All-Star break with an uncomfortable reminder that talent alone doesn't guarantee victories when clean baseball disappears.
The Dodgers will look to regroup during the break before opening the second half Friday, July 17, against the Yankees in the Bronx.