D’Backs 8, Dodgers 0: Ugly game got uglier late

The old adage of “don’t let the other team’s best players beat you” held true tonight, as A.J. Pollock, Paul Goldschmidt and the Diamondbacks defeated the Dodgers 8-0 on Tuesday night in a must-win game*.

*- not really

Pollock drove in the game’s first run on a ground out in the fourth inning after Nick Ahmed led off with a double. In the seventh inning, Pollock hit a home run to center field that bounced off the top of the wall and over the fence. Goldscmidt followed with a home run to right field on a pitch out of the strike zone. In the ninth, Pollock led off with a flare single to right and Goldschmidt moved him to third with a single where Howie Kendrick would have been playing if Pollock hadn’t been moving on the pitch. Then, Alex Guerrero happened. He failed to track down a pop fly down the left field that looked like it was going foul but landed just barely on the foul line. Remember that time people said Alex Guerrero should be a full-time starter? That was fun. And where the hell was Carl Crawford on that play?

It didn’t really matter as the Diamondbacks would add four more runs, capped off by a Brandon Drury 3-run home run. Oh, and the Dodgers could muster just three hits off Diamondbacks’ starter Robbie Ray (sure, why not?) in six innings.

This all isn’t to say Alex Wood didn’t pitch well. He was fantastic last time out and was pretty good this time: 6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR, 79 pitches, 53 strikes, 9/1 GO/AO. He’s making his claim to be the Dodgers’ No. 3 starter come playoff time, especially since Brett Anderson has struggled of late … that is, if the Dodgers even make the playoffs. *gasp*

With the loss — their fourth in a row — the Dodgers fall to 85-65 on the season. The Giants are leading in San Diego, so the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West will likely be down to six games. The magic number remains at seven and the Dodgers are a half-game ahead of the Mets for home-field advantage in the National League Division Series. Zack Greinke (18-3, 1.65 ERA) takes on Chase Anderson (6-6, 4.52). First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. Pacific.

It’d be just swell if the Dodgers won a game sometime soon.