Dodgers drop key game in tight NL West race

Dodgers lose 5-4 as relief struggles and Ohtani strikes out with the bases loaded in a tense late moment

Roberts criticizes Ohtani after Dodgers fall to Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays did plenty to give the Dodgers a victory but Los Angeles could not close the deal. Toronto pitchers yielded 10 hits and walked 13, twice loading the bases in the final two innings, while the Dodgers still mounted a late charge in a 5-4 loss. Los Angeles stranded a season high 16 runners and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Ohtani had two hits, including his 41st homer, but a missed chance in the eighth and a late strikeout kept the Dodgers from turning pressure into wins.

Freddie Freeman walked with the bases loaded to tie the game in the eighth, but the Dodgers could not push ahead. In the ninth, Ernie Clement greeted reliever Alex Vesia with a leadoff homer to give Toronto the lead. Vesia then faced Shohei Ohtani with the bases loaded and one out, and the lefty struck out on a full count after fouling off two tough pitches. Mookie Betts ended the threat by grounding into a force play to end the frame. The Dodgers bullpen has now allowed 65 homers this season, a mark that places them near the top of the league in high damage against.

In the bigger picture, the Dodgers had a lead and a chance to widen the gap in the NL West but could not finish, while the Padres surged with a series of trades that bolstered their bullpen and lineup. The loss narrows Los Angeles lead to two games over San Diego, affecting both teams’ positioning for the rest of the season. The Dodgers head to Anaheim for a three game set with the Angels before returning home to meet the Padres, a test of whether they can rebound quickly.

This game exposes a recurring tension for the Dodgers: a powerful lineup undone by a leaky bullpen at critical moments. Glasnow pitched well, but Treinen and Vesia could not protect a late lead, turning pressure into a costly leverage for the Jays. The Padres have pulled ahead by acting decisively at the trade deadline, while Los Angeles chose smaller moves, a contrast that matters in a tight division race. The message is clear: elite offense needs reliable late-inning relief, or the margin for error vanishes in a hurry. The coming series will test whether the Dodgers can reset mentally after a painful setback or whether this stretch signals a deeper flaw in late-game execution.

Highlights

The schedule ahead will test how this team adjusts under pressure