Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
When it rains it pours. The Dodgers dropped their sixth game in a row on Saturday night, and they are now in danger of losing every game of this homestand to the Marlins and the Padres.
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Ross Stripling was shaky in his fifth career start, and the offense went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position leaving six men on base. The Dodgers only mustered four hits, the last of which came in the fourth inning.
Notably, the Dodgers offense squandered a perfect scoring opportunity in the bottom of the second. Yasmani Grandal and Enrique Hernandez hit back-to-back singles, and the Dodgers had runners at the corners with one out after Carl Crawford‘s force out. Joc Pederson then hit into the dreaded inning-ending double play to allow Colin Rea to escape the jam unscathed.
The Padres scored two runs off Stripling in the top of the third off three consecutive doubles by Jon Jay, Wil Myers and Matt Kemp.
In response, Chase Utley took matters into his own hands in the bottom of the frame to tie the game up by hitting his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-center field off a 3-1 Rea fastball.
Can’t touch this. pic.twitter.com/FCRUpsxAUS
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 1, 201
Crawford tripled with two outs in the fourth for another scoring opportunity, but Rea predictably walked Pederson to get to Stripling. Stripling struck out, and Crawford was left standing at third.
After Stripling started off the fifth inning strong with two strikeouts, San Diego took a 5-2 lead when they cashed in two consecutive walks with a booming double off the wall by Melvin Upton Jr. and a Alexei Ramirez single. A typical weak throw by Crawford in left field allowed Kemp to score easily. Louis Coleman was brought in to put out the fire and struck out Derek Norris to end the inning, but the damage was done.
Stripling struck out a career-high six batters but allowed five runs on seven hits with two walks in 4 2/3 innings on 85 pitches (53 strikes).
The bullpen wasn’t the problem tonight, as Coleman, Chris Hatcher, J.P. Howell and Joe Blanton pitched a collective 4 1/3 scoreless innings. The offense was the pathetic problem, as Corey Seager, Justin Turner, Adrian Gonzalez and Joc Pederson all ended up hitless.
With the loss, the Dodgers fall to 12-13 on the season. It is their first losing streak of six or more games since May 1-10, 2013.
Please, Dodgers. Make baseball fun again.
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The Dodgers wrap up their homestand and begin a fresh month on Sunday with a 1:10 p.m. Pacific time game against the Padres. Clayton Kershaw will face fellow left-hander Drew Pomeranz.
