Chicago Cubs’ winning streak ends at 10 games with 12-4 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers

After the game, a grinning Suzuki shared he received a text from Shohei Ohtani, who told him Sasaki said he doesn’t like him anymore because of the home run.

“Before I step in the box, I’m thinking about the game plan, how to approach the pitcher and organizing my thoughts before I step in,” Suzuki said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “And regardless of whatever the result of that at-bat is my focus is on, did I complete that ask? And then move on to the next at-bat.”

Ballesteros continues to show poise beyond the 22-year-old’s experience. His elite approach was on display in two key at-bats Saturday. In the fourth inning, Ballesteros fouled off two pitches, and on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, he sent Sasaki’s 3-2 slider over the right-field wall for a go-ahead solo home run. He had been fooled a couple of times by the slider during the sequence but didn’t miss the third one Sasaki threw him.

Then, in the sixth as the Cubs tried to chip away at the Dodgers’ four-run lead like they had the night before, Ballesteros again battled. Counsell kept Ballesteros in the game despite the Dodgers bringing in a lefty, Jack Dreyer, in a key spot with runners on first and second and nobody out. Ballesteros went down 1-2 against Dreyer, fouled off three of the next four pitches and took two balls to force a nine-pitch walk that loaded the bases.

Ballesteros is hitting .397 with a .446 on-base percentage and a team-best 214 wRC+ this season.

“Both at-bats, really good at-bats,” Counsell said. “Didn’t even feel like he took a great swing and hit a home run, just kind of stayed on a ball. So he continues to impress.”

The Cubs, though, failed to take advantage. Dansby Swanson struck out, Pete Crow-Armstrong struck out — one of his four in the loss — and Miguel Amaya grounded out to Dreyer to end the threat.

The Cubs (17-10) wouldn’t get any closer as the Dodgers responded with four in the bottom of the sixth to put the game out of reach. Counsell called on right-hander Vince Velasquez, pitching in his first big-league game in nearly three years, to close out the final 2 1/3 innings.