D-backs 12, Dodgers 4: After the 1st 4 batters for the Dodgers … well, at least Mookie Betts was in the booth

Chad Moriyama 07/03/2024 Game Recaps Leave A Comment

The Dodgers followed up their walk-off win by going off on a guy making his MLB debut … and then didn’t do anything after that. Meanwhile, Gavin Stone followed up the best start of his career with probably his worst this season as the Diamondbacks rallied against him and the pen in a 12-4 loss.

Gonna be honest, the real value of this recap comes towards the end, where Mookie Betts provides advice on everything and shows why he’s gonna have an analyst job when he’s done with playing.

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Giving a hint of what was to come from him in the start, Stone followed his shutout by loading the bases with one out behind a single and a pair of walks. However, he did manage to limit the D-backs to just one run on a sacrifice fly and an early 1-0 deficit for the Dodgers.

Diamondbacks starter Cristian Mena was making his MLB debut, and it started about as rough as possible. A Shohei Ohtani single was followed by a Will Smith walk, and then back-to-back homers from Freddie Freeman (13) and Teoscar Hernandez (19) to make it 4-0 in a flash.

Andy Pages then made it five in a row to reach with a single, but Mena then retired the next six Dodgers to get him through the 2nd.

Meanwhile, Stone continued to struggle. In the 2nd, he escaped another bases loaded situation with a double, single, and walk. They then had their breakthrough in the 3rd, as a single was followed by two outs, but then Eugenio Suarez doubled home a run and then Gabriel Moreno homered to tie the game at 4-4.

After he got through that frame, that was the end of his night: 3 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 3 K, 77 Pitches.

Mena got in trouble again in his half of the 3rd, as a pair of walks to Freeman and Pages were then balked into scoring position. Miguel Rojas then lined a ball to right, where Jake McCarthy caught it and turned a double play with a strike to home to keep things tied up. That was the end of Mena’s night, whose experience could’ve been a lot worse.

That tie didn’t last long, as Ryan Yarbrough relieved Stone, got the first two batters in the 4th and then gave up a homer to — who else? — Christian Walker to make it 5-4.

Yarbrough continued to bleed runs in the 5th, as a single and walk eventually led to a safety squeeze bunt from Geraldo Perdomo to make it 6-4. He came back in the 6th to get the first two outs, then gave way to Yohan Ramirez, who promptly gave up a double and then a homer to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to make it 8-4. He also gave up a walk and single to start the 7th, but got an out and then Anthony Banda was summoned mid-count against Corbin Carroll. He was credited with striking him out, then after an intentional walk loaded things up, he escaped the jam without damage.

Finally starting a clean inning was Michael Petersen in the 8th, though he allowed a pair of doubles to push the D-backs lead to 9-4. He also got the 9th, which after allowing a walk and a single, saw Walker tee off AGAIN for his second homer to make it 12-4.

If you hadn’t noticed though, the big story is the lack of the offense. They managed a walk in the 4th, saw a walk erased by a double play in the 5th, had a minor threat behind a double in the 6th, did nothing in the 7th, and had a single erased by a double play in the 8th. Then to cap things off in the 9th, they managed just a two-out walk.

Nothing doing.

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By far the best part of the game, then, was Mookie being in the booth for four inning and chatting about a wide variety of topics, as you can see.

He was even out there helping to call pitches.

He also talked about Shohei, of course.

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NL WESTRECORD
Dodgers53-34
Padres47-43 (7.5 GB)

The rubber match will be tomorrow on America’s birthday about an hour earlier at 3:10 PM HT/6:10 PM PT/9:10 PM ET with Landon Knack facing Zac Gallen.

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