The City Connect jerseys and their .700 winning percentage returned after a brief hiatus due to manufacturing issues. Brock Purdy was brought in to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, a nod toward connecting cities and franchises in the Bay Area. The pregame vibes were positive.

None of it worked.

Shohei Ohtani kicked off the scoring with the longest homer at Oracle Park in nearly two years, and the Los Angeles Dodgers cruised from there, winning 10-2.

A huge blast from Shohei Ohtani! pic.twitter.com/7GH3hTc8fO

— MLB (@MLB) May 15, 2024

The Giants have lost all five meetings with the Dodgers this season. Just 44 games into the year, they already are 10 games out of first place.

Ohtani’s blast led to a four-run fourth inning and was the first of nine extra-base hits by the Dodgers. The Giants didn’t get on the board until the sixth, when LaMonte Wade Jr. walked, took second and third on wild pitches, and scored on Heliot Ramos’ single.

Another One Down

Keaton Winn got off to a strong start, but the Dodgers broke it open in the fourth and he didn’t make it out of the fifth. It wasn’t because of performance, though. Right now, the injuries just won’t stop for the Giants.

After a single by Ohtani on Winn’s 78th pitch of the night, trainer Dave Groeschner and manager Bob Melvin came out to check on Winn. He was replaced by fellow rookie Randy Rodriguez.

Keaton Winn exits the game after a mound visit from Dave Groeschner pic.twitter.com/shaLhfpJyw

— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 15, 2024

Winn continued to head in the wrong direction after a rough road trip. In his last three starts, he has allowed 17 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. In his three starts prior to this stretch, Winn allowed three earned runs in 18 innings while picking up three straight wins.

A couple of weeks ago, Winn looked like he was about to solidify a rotation spot for years to come. Now, the Giants have some serious questions, not just about his health but also his recent performance.

What Could Have Been …

When the Giants chased Ohtani in the offseason, there were absolutely zero questions about his ability to keep his production going at Oracle Park. He’s the type of hitter who doesn’t have to worry about cold nights or marine layers, and he proved it Tuesday.

The solo blast left the bat at 113.4 mph, which is harder than any hit by a Giant this season, but ranks only as Ohtani’s seventh-hardest-hit ball of the season. At 446 feet, it was 13 feet beyond a Jorge Soler homer that was the previous long bomb of the year at Oracle Park. Ohtani wasn’t far from putting the ball in the Cove in the deepest part of the yard.

It was one of the more impressive blasts at Oracle Park in recent years. It also was a very regrettable pitch …

I would not throw this pitch to Ohtani again pic.twitter.com/8101KLV6yI

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) May 15, 2024

K-Rod

Rodriguez entered for Winn and allowed one hit in three innings while striking out five. When you do that against *this* lineup in your third career appearance, that’s pretty strong work.

The right-hander relied primarily on his four-seamer, which averaged 98 mph and topped out at 100.5 mph. He threw the pitch 23 times and got 18 strikes, and it was the finisher on strikeouts of Freddie Freeman (twice), Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages and James Outman.

Rodriguez has 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings this season, and crucially, he has walked just two. It has been a promising first couple of weeks for the 24-year-old who battled command issues in the minor leagues.