The Los Angeles Dodgers have endured plenty of painful moments this season, but Saturday night in Baltimore may have been one of the most gut-wrenching collapses yet. What could have been a historic celebration instead became a meltdown by a highly underperforming bullpen.
Righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto was one out away from a no-hitter, pitching 8-2/3 masterful innings on Saturday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Yet somehow, the Dodgers lost, 4-3. Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott combined to surrender three runs without retiring a single batter after Yamamoto exited the game, resulting in one of the season’s most improbable losses.
After Jackson Holliday‘s solo home run broke up Yamamoto’s no-hit bid, Treinen came in and allowed a double, hit a batter, uncorked a wild pitch and walked two batters, forcing across the second run. Tanner Scott then entered with the bases loaded and gave up Emmanuel Rivera‘s walk-off single, sending the Dodgers to another defeat.
Losing Streak Grows to Five Games
After being swept by the Pirates in Pittsburgh, the Dodgers have now dropped two straight games in Baltimore, making it five straight losses. During the Pirates sweep, the bullpen repeatedly failed to preserve leads.
“There’s really no words,” Treinen said after the defeat. “You’re paid to be a professional and at least throw strikes, and I didn’t do that, and cost one of the better outings I’ve ever seen in my career with Yama. He deserved better than that.”
Another Note for the History Books
The magnitude of Saturday’s meltdown is wild when you look at it historically. It was only the ninth time since 1961 that a big league club had carried the lead in a no-hitter through 8-2/3 innings and failed to win. The Dodgers have oddly been involved in four of those games and are the only franchise in that span to lose that way twice.
Saturday is the longest no-hit bid in a loss since the Milwaukee Brewers took a no-hitter into the 11th inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 10, 2023. For a team that entered the season with championship expectations, these are the kinds of statistical footnotes that can haunt October dreams.
A Troubling Trend Against Weak Competition
The bullpen’s failures have been particularly glaring against some of the worst teams in the majors. Since August 1, Los Angeles has posted an 11-4 record against teams with .500 or better records but gone 4-12 against sub-.500 opponents, according to Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
At 78-64, the Dodgers now have lost 12 of their past 16 games against teams with losing records. For a franchise built to dominate in October, the inability to consistently put away lesser opponents raises serious questions about their late-inning reliability when shutdown innings matter most.
Looking Ahead
The timing of this current losing streak couldn’t be worse. The one-run loss was the team’s 13th in their past 19 close calls. In a postseason format where games are often decided by the narrowest of margins, a bullpen that cannot protect late leads becomes a fatal flaw.
The Dodgers still possess the talent to make a deep playoff run, but Saturday’s collapse has many fans worried if the relief crew will have the firepower to be productive through October. Thanks to some recent sputtering by the San Diego Padres, the Dodgers are still ahead one full game in the division. But that won’t last long until the bullpen starts pulling some much needed weight.
With 20 games remaining in the regular season, time is running out to find answers. The defending World Series champions have the talent to overcome their bullpen woes, but Saturday’s historic meltdown serves as a reminder that talent alone doesn’t guarantee October success.
Sometimes, everything just boils down to that final out you can never get.