Shohei Ohtani returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup and delivered a home run, but the team's improvised pitching strategy unraveled in a 9-4 defeat to the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium.
Ohtani, who had missed time with left knee soreness, doubled in the fourth inning and scored on a Freddie Freeman single.
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He then launched a two-run homer off Jovani Morán in the fifth to give Los Angeles a brief lead.
The Dodgers' pitching plans collapsed behind opener Edgardo Henriquez.
Reliever Will Klein struggled with his mechanics, allowing three runs over 1⅓ innings while yielding three hits, a walk, and hitting Willson Contreras in the helmet.
Cole Irvin, promoted from Triple-A before the game, surrendered six runs on eight hits over six innings, including a five-run seventh.
The heavy workload preserved the rest of the bullpen ahead of the trade deadline.
Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman addressed the team's approach to roster construction, emphasizing long-term planning over desperate moves.
"When you have an acute need, it's really challenging, because you're paying 150 cents, 200 cents on the dollar," Friedman said.
"So we try to do everything we can to avoid not having to do something.
But when you're able to be in a position to be a little bit more selective and opportunistic about what potentially is available, it just puts you in a better position.
So as much flexibility as we can have, the better."
