The Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday after a brutal eighth-inning collapse.
Behind Clayton Kershaw’s brilliance on the mound, the Dodgers finished the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead. However, the bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth as the Guardians rallied for a 7-4 win.
The game was tied 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth when Angel Martinez blasted a three-run homer to put Cleveland ahead.
Martinez had two hits, including the go-ahead home run. Nolan Jones, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana each had three hits in the victory.
Wednesday’s defeat denied Kershaw his 213th victory, despite allowing one run in a career-high five innings. On the other end, Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani went 0 for 3 with a walk against Cleveland.
Ohtani leads MLB with 20 home runs and had hit one in each of the Dodgers’ previous three games.
The loss moved the reigning World Series champions to 34-22. Los Angeles was on its way to sweeping the series against Cleveland before Tuesday’s loss.
Despite the loss, the Dodgers still lead the National League West. Cleveland improved to 30-25 to stay second in the AL Central.
The Dodgers now head to New York for a World Series rematch against the Yankees, who lead the AL East with a 34-20 record.
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