ANAHEIM, Calif. — In the wake of another bullpen implosion and the midst of the worst extended stretch by these regular-season goliaths in recent memory, the Los Angeles Dodgers officially relinquished their National League West division lead at 9:39 p.m. (PT) Wednesday.
Will Smith lined out to center field to end the latest gut punch, a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, only briefly looking to watch the ball meet glove before retreating to the dugout.
Just 41 days ago, the Dodgers held a nine-game advantage and complete control of the NL West. Wednesday night ensured the Dodgers (68-53) would be looking up at the San Diego Padres (69-52) on Thursday morning.
The first-ever six-game season sweep at the hands of the Angels brought with it another indignity. For the first time since April 27, the Dodgers will not be in first place. The last time the team did not have at least a share of the division lead this late in a season was 2021, the only season during this 12-year run of dominance where they didn’t ultimately claim the division crown.
“Obviously, it doesn’t feel good to fall into second place and to lose a lot of these games,” Shohei Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.
What appeared to be a commanding division lead came apart in about six weeks. The Dodgers, now 15-21 since the start of July, have extended their freefall by at least another day.
“We’re where we’re at,” manager Dave Roberts said. “We put ourselves in this spot. But no, I wouldn’t have expected us to be in second place right now.”
FINAL: The Angels own (greater) L.A.
I don’t know what the Angels will/won’t do the rest of this season. But if the Dodgers — now in 2nd place — don’t win the NL West, they’ll have the Angels to thank.
The Angels are 59-62, and swept the season series from the Dodgers.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) August 14, 2025
Roberts’ bullpen has been littered with trap doors. His team has lost four in a row and five of its last seven games, and was tied or led in the eighth inning or later in four of those. An already thin group was laid bare on Wednesday. Ohtani pitched into the fifth inning for the first time in a Dodgers uniform, but still left 14 outs for the bullpen to cling to a one-run lead, after Roberts tried to squeeze the two-way star through the inning.
“I just couldn’t finish off hitters in the fifth,” said Ohtani, whose outing ended on a two-run Zach Neto double that inflated his line to four runs over 4 1/3 innings.
Recent usage left Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen, the only leverage relievers the Dodgers currently have, unavailable. After Anthony Banda finished off the fifth, Justin Wrobleski entered. He started the eighth, his third inning of work, with a pair of walks. Only Alexis Díaz, whose trial run as an important reliever for the Dodgers has expired, was available beyond Edgardo Henriquez when he entered to put out the eighth-inning mess.
A hard-hit single off Henriquez’s glove loaded the bases, but the hard-throwing 23-year-old still managed to get within one strike of escaping, pumping one 100 mph fastball after another. His fifth pitch to Logan O’Hoppe registered at 103.2 mph, but it leaked over the middle of the plate. O’Hoppe was more than timed up for it, bashing a single up the middle to drive in two runs and secure another Dodgers’ collapse.
“He was dead red,” Roberts said of O’Hoppe, “and he just timed it up.”
The most-used bullpen in baseball is praying for reinforcements.
The team’s lone notable relief addition at the trade deadline went on the injured list Tuesday, though further testing showed no structural damage in Brock Stewart’s right shoulder. Getting Stewart, Tanner Scott, Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates back would be just a start in getting this group right.
“Taking a snapshot on Aug. 12 is one thing,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this week. “Hopefully, if we make it into October, seeing the roster that we submit, we feel that it’s going to be a very, very strong roster. That’s our bet and that’s what we’re going with.”
That still does little to help right now, as the Dodgers have continued to fall out of the mix. Henriquez’s spot on Wednesday night was the one that Stewart was acquired to attack, neutralizing right-handed hitters and giving the club another bridge to the ninth inning.
“It’s kind of where we’re at right there,” Roberts said.
It’s making a difference in the division race. The Dodgers are just 19-18 in one-run games, including a 4-9 mark during this slide since the start of July.
“It doesn’t feel good to lose close games,” Ohtani said. “It’s tough mentally.”
“It’s not like we’re going out there just laying eggs,” Mookie Betts said. “We’re going out there and doing what we can, just falling short right now.”
It goes to show how slim the margins are for the Dodgers. Now, that’s extended to the standings, with little chance to catch their breath. Six of their next 10 games will come against the now-first-place Padres, which have snatched this division away — unfamiliar and unlikely territory.
“I don’t think you can ensure anything,” Betts said. “I think the game will dictate what happens; we just have to keep controlling the couple of things we can control, which is our effort and our attitude. After that, the chips will fall where they may.”
(Photo: Harry How / Getty Images)