DETROIT —
It wasn’t exactly the blueprint the Dodgers had in mind.
An early deficit. A rookie reliever pitching in a tied game in the eighth. A couple end-of-bench bats taking key plate appearances in the ninth.
But when it mattered most Friday night, in the Dodgers’ bid to end a four-game losing streak and build some momentum going into next week’s All-Star break, they had exactly who they wanted at the plate.
In a 4-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, Shohei Ohtani delivered the decisive hit.
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When Ohtani came to the plate in the ninth inning Friday, he was scuffling like much of the rest of the Dodgers’ banged-up lineup.