Charlie Barnes eats seven innings as Dodgers fall to A's

SACRAMENTO — Before the Dodgers boarded their flight back to Los Angeles, they could at least take comfort in one thing: the mission of this road trip was accomplished.

Wednesday night's 7-1 loss to the Athletics at Sutter Health Park wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't a game the Dodgers were built to win. It was a game they were built to survive.

The box score will remember Charlie Barnes for allowing seven runs over seven innings. The Dodgers might remember him for something else entirely.

One day after Shohei Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled start, the Dodgers found themselves scrambling to piece together Wednesday's series finale against the Athletics. What was announced as a bullpen game quickly became anything but.

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Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Jack Dreyer (86) throws during the first inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.

Jack Dreyer handled a clean opening inning before giving way to Barnes, who had just been recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day for one specific purpose: absorb innings and protect a taxed bullpen before a critical four-game series against the Padres.

Mission accomplished, even if the scoreboard didn't reflect it.

The Athletics avoided the sweep, handing the Dodgers just their second loss in the last nine games. The Dodgers return home after an impressive 7-2 road trip heading into the final homestand before the All-Star break.

Barnes' night began in the worst possible fashion. On the first pitch he threw in the second inning, Jonah Heim launched a solo home run to give the Athletics a 1-0 lead.

The Dodgers answered in the third when Freddie Freeman did it again, hammering his 14th home run of the season on an 89 mph cutter from J.T. Ginn. The game-tying blast extended Freeman's on-base streak to 16 games and gave him four home runs during that span.

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Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is greeted by right fielder Kyle Tucker (23)after hitting a one run home run during the third inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.

It would be the Dodgers' only run.

The game unraveled in the fourth. Heim worked a leadoff walk before Kuroda-Grauer doubled to right, putting runners on second and third with nobody out. Lawrence Butler brought home the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice before Bolte lined an RBI single to center to make it 3-1.

The Athletics kept piling on in the fifth. Shea Langeliers crushed a 433-foot homer to left-center before Nick Kurtz singled and scored on Colby Thomas' RBI double. Heim capped his standout night with an RBI single, extending the lead to 6-1.

Alika Williams added the final blow with a solo homer in the eighth, again off Barnes.

The final pitching line wasn't flattering: seven innings, 12 hits, seven earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts and 94 pitches.

But context matters.

Dave Roberts never intended to lean on his bullpen Wednesday. Barnes was recalled specifically to wear the innings, regardless of how difficult they became. Instead of burning through five or six relievers one day before beginning a four-game showdown with San Diego, Barnes stayed on the mound and preserved nearly every high-leverage arm for what lies ahead.

By night's end, it no longer looked like a bullpen game. It looked like an old-fashioned start from a pitcher whose biggest contribution wasn't preventing runs but preventing more bullpen usage.

Barnes is expected to return to Triple-A after providing exactly what the Dodgers needed, with Paul Gervase expected to be recalled.

Offensively, there wasn't much support to offer.

The Dodgers managed only five hits. Freeman supplied the lone extra-base hit with his home run, while Miguel Rojas finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles after replacing Mookie Betts at shortstop.

Shohei Ohtani, in the lineup despite being scratched from his pitching start, went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts. Kyle Tucker, meanwhile, never stopped reaching base. He drew four walks, setting a new career high after previously topping out at three earlier this season against Atlanta.

Betts was scratched before first pitch with right wrist soreness, though Roberts said afterward the shortstop is expected back in Thursday's lineup after treatment. Roberts added there was no specific play or incident that caused the discomfort, Betts simply arrived at the ballpark feeling soreness.

The Dodgers didn't get the sweep they wanted. What they did get was exactly what they needed.

Seven innings from Barnes allowed Roberts to keep virtually every key reliever fresh for a Padres series that carries far more significance than the final game of a six-game road trip. Sometimes a pitcher earns appreciation despite an ugly stat line because of what his outing saves instead of what it prevents.

Wednesday was one of those nights.

The Dodgers leave Northern California with a 7-2 road trip, still owning plenty of momentum despite a forgettable finale. They'll happily trade one lopsided loss if it means entering one of the biggest series before the All-Star break with a fully rested bullpen.