Ohtani's comeback homer wasn't enough to save the Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani hadn't been right for a while. Lingering soreness in his left knee had kept him off the mound since July 3, and he'd sat out the game before this one entirely. So when he stepped in against the Red Sox and turned around a Jovani Moran pitch at 112.1 mph, sending it out at a 24-degree launch angle for a projected 386 feet, it wasn't just a homer. It was a statement that the best player alive was still the best player alive.

Barstool Baseball

@StoolBaseball

SHOHEI IS BACK

For a few innings, that swing looked like it was going to be the story of the night. Ohtani was back, the Dodgers had the lead, and the ballpark had that electric feeling that only shows up when the sport's biggest star does something the sport's biggest star does. Barstool's own Dodgers guy summed up the vibe as well as anyone.

Then Boston happened. The Red Sox blew the game open with a five-run 7th inning, capped by a two-run homer off Cole Irvin that flipped the lead for good, and they piled on from there to win 9-4 at Dodger Stadium. Ohtani's homer went from a signature moment to a footnote in a laugher, which has become an uncomfortably familiar pattern for this Dodgers bullpen this year.

Dave Portnoy wasn't shy about pointing out the gap between the two organizations right now, and he wasn't just talking baseball.

Dave Portnoy

@stoolpresidente

Great morning of scores to wake up too. Red Sox destroy Dodgers. Just keep on winning and don’t look now but Caitlin has entered the chat for MVP as she put up a triple double last night and the Fever are red hot. 26-10-10. Not bad for the 11th best guard in the league 😂 She’s scoring 25 plus every night now

Portnoy's tangent about Caitlin Clark and the Fever says more about his mood after a good morning of scores than it does about the Dodgers, but the baseball part of it is real: Boston has been rolling, and a two-time defending champion getting run out of its own building despite a vintage Ohtani moment is the kind of result that makes people ask questions. For a Dodgers team built to win now, on a knee that isn't fully right for its best player, the margin for these bullpen meltdowns keeps getting thinner.

The good news for LA is that Ohtani's knee clearly isn't stopping his bat, whatever it's doing to his ability to pitch. The bad news is that one big swing doesn't fix a bullpen that keeps handing away leads in the late innings. Boston, meanwhile, gets to bank a win over the sport's flagship team and keep rolling into whatever's next on the schedule.