The Los Angeles Dodgers are still on the top spot of the National League West, but they are not exactly helping themselves stay there. After the Dodgers lost their series to the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-4, they've lost further ground to their nearest rivals, the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks. What's worse is the game could have gone LA's way, but a controversial call in the sixth inning got Dave Roberts ejected and gave the Phillies the spark they needed to rally and win. This victory over the Dodgers was also the first time the Phillies won a series since July 11.
Down 4-3, Alec Bohm doubled to left while Brandon Marsh hit a grounder into a fielder's choice and went to third. Third baseman Kike Hernandez threw the ball to shortstop Miguel Rojas on his left. As Bohm slid onto the base, Rojas tried to catch him, but third-base umpire Hunter Wendelstedt called interference on Rojas and ruled the play safe.
Everyone in Dodgers stadium fumed at the call, including Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who stormed onto the field to argue with the umpire. Their argument ended with Wendelstedt tossing Roberts out of the game, which may have cost the team. After the game, Roberts was direct and biting.
“It was an egregious missed call,” the manager said, per Doug McKain on X, formerly Twitter. “[The play] needs to be reviewable. It changed the complexion of the game. He got it wrong.”
Dodgers lose again
As Dave Roberts approached, the umpire put his hands up, signifying that the manager should stop arguing. He also attempted to walk away and cut the argument short. Then, he even turned his back on Roberts, but the manager kept approaching him to argue the play. Crew chief Marvin Hudson defended the umpire to reporters after the game. “[Roberts] went out there to argue the play,” Hudson told the press. “And once you go down that road to argue the play, then you're ejected because you can't argue the play.”
About the play itself, Hudson said, “He was in front of the bag without the ball, and that's the new obstruction rule. Plus he was running in front of him to third. He was in front of the third without the ball, so he obstructed the runner. The runner didn't have a lane to get to the bag.”
Despite the loss, the Dodgers remain the NL West's top seed, with a 66-49 record. However, as of Tuesday, the Padres and the Diamondbacks have climbed to within three games of them, with a presently tied record of 63-52. Both teams also share an 8-2 record for their last team games, while the Dodgers have lost six of their last ten.
It didn't help that their pitching got shorter, thanks to Brusdar Graterol's hamstring injury in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies. This recent slump just proves that stacking a team with talent like Shohei Ohtani produces only winners on paper. You still have to play the games.
Follow Us
Subscribe