Dodgers' weak effort vs. Padres in first game without Josue De Paula was frustratingly ironic

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers reactived Shohei Ohtani from the 15-day IL and optioned Josue De Paula, which was just about the most unpopular decision they could've made.

No one can really complain about having Ohtani back, but De Paula had captured the hearts and attentions of Dodgers fans so quickly that we would've preferred the team make a more drastic measure, like cutting Alex Call, than sending De Paula away for the time being.

There is still a distinct chance that the Dodgers enter a petition with the Commissioner's Office to carry De Paula on their postseason rosters, but fans want every second of the No. 1 prospect they can get.

The Dodgers took the field for the second game of three against the San Diego Padres without their electric rookie, and they certainly played like they'd lost a spark.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is no stranger to getting little-to-no run support from his team. In the fifth, with the Padres already up 2-0 thanks to a Manny Machado homer, Yamamoto gave up back-to-back singles before a Dustin Harris laid down a bunt. Yamamoto fielded and tried to throw to third to get the lead runner, but it sailed into foul territory, allowing a run to score.

The Dodgers offense, meanwhile, only scored a single run on a Tommy Edman sac fly.

Dodgers clearly already missing their sparkplug after Josue De Paula option, loss to Padres

The Dodgers' loss and an Atlanta Braves win kept LA from clinching the first-round bye that escaped them last year. The Padres' win allowed them to pull away from the rest of the crowded NL Wild Card pack. Going into Wednesday's game, the Padres, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Phillies were all tied with the same 87-70 record. The Phillies also lost, which allowed the Padres to pull away by a game in the standings.

Although the Dodgers clinching is still all but inevitable, fans are getting antsier the further we come down to the wire.

There are still some big questions to be answered when the Dodgers get to October, the De Paula vs. Dalton Rushing debate being one of them. Dave Roberts already admitted that it would be an uphill battle for Rushing, given how well and how immediately De Paula established himself.

The offense's lifeless showing against the Padres on Wednesday might've been an indirect plus in De Paula's column. Look what they turned into without him.

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