The Arizona Diamondbacks could not find an answer against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered a shutout loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, falling 7-0 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
After winning the first game of the four-game set against the Dodgers on Monday, Arizona has now fallen behind 2-1 in the series. So, how did they lose?
Can’t Stop Shohei
In Wednesday’s contest, the Diamondbacks were tasked with facing Shohei Ohtani, who is demonstrating a show of dominance on the mound in 2026 which has led to the best pitching numbers of his Major League Baseball career.
Arizona ended up having the top of its lineup retired in the first inning, all via groundout. Then, in the second inning and facing a 2-0 deficit, Diamondbacks’ hitters Nolan Arenado and Pavin Smith were struck out by Ohtani before Ryan Waldschmidt grounded out.
In the bottom of the third, with the advantage growing in the Dodgers’ favor, Ohtani retired the Diamondbacks’ side again.
Finally, in the fourth inning, a two-out double by Gabriel Moreno broke up Ohtani’s early no-hitter, but it did not result in any runs on the board as Arenado subsequently grounded out. The Diamondbacks could not find a solution, and it would remain that way.
In the fifth, Ohtani retired Arizona’s side again by also striking out two of the three batters he faced. The Diamondbacks would draw a walk and notch a single off Ohtani in the sixth, but that is all they would do before his evening ended in the top of the seventh inning.
Ohtani’s final line included six strikeouts, two hits, and one walk over six shutout innings, and he improved to 6-2 on the year with a 0.74 ERA. Arizona did not have a way to beat him at the plate or from the mound as Ohtani also logged three hits in four at-bats while drawing two walks.
Pitching Problems
While Ohtani was lighting up the Diamondback’s batting order, Zac Gallen was having enough trouble against the Dodgers’ lineup.
In the second inning, Gallen gave up a two-run home run to Kyle Tucker. In the third, he opened the frame by walking Ohtani before allowing a double to Andy Pages and two-RBI single to Freddie Freeman to put Arizona in a 4-0 hole.
Gallen was able to strike out Mookie Betts before allowing consecutive singles to Tucker and Max Muncy that gave Los Angeles a 5-0 lead. Gallen and the defense got through the fourth and the fifth inning without allowing any runs before the former’s night ended in the sixth when he was replaced by Taylor Clarke.
By the time he was heading back to the dugout, Gallen had pitched five innings while allowing nine hits, four earned runs, and two walks. After Clarke took the mound as the first reliever, right-hander Brandon Pfaadt struggled through one inning by allowing three hits, two earned runs, and two walks.
The Diamondbacks will aim to split the series when they face the Dodgers on Thursday at 6:40 p.m. MST.
What's Next?
With the win, the Dodgers earn their 40th win of the season, and lead the four-game series 2-1.
Justin Wrobleski takes the mound on Thursday with Los Angeles seeking their fifth straight series win overall.
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