Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers won the rubber match of the series with the Blue Jays, 4-2, thanks to a sterling performance by Ross Stripling and big hits from Joc Pederson and Howie Kendrick.
The win takes the Dodgers above .500 at 16-15 and puts them at 11-7 away from home.
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Stripling turned in an excellent outing against a tough lineup in a hitter’s park, limiting the Blue Jays to just one hit over six innings while striking out six batters. In the third, the Blue Jays managed to manufacture a run after a lead-off double and two ground outs, but that was all Stripling gave up on the day. Unfortunately, he still didn’t factor into the decision, because the Dodgers didn’t score a run while he was in the game.
Speaking of the devil, the Dodgers offense put on a rather pathetic effort for most of the game, as Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada carried a no-hitter through five innings and allowed just three hits and two walks in his seven innings of work. Fortunately for the Dodgers, one of those hits happened to be a Joc blast over the right-field wall in the seventh inning to knot the game at 1-1.
After Joc dingered, the Dodgers went to the pen, which was always going to be second-guessed (or first-guessed) because Stripling was at only 85 pitches.
https://twitter.com/ChadMoriyama/status/729383983474049024
In any case, Chris Hatcher entered (over Joe Blanton for … reasons?) and retired the first two batters. However, he then gave up a single and walked the next batter before giving up another single to right. The runner was going to be stopped to load the bases, but somehow Trayce Thompson managed to boot a routine single and the run scored on the error. Hatcher proceeded to retire the next batter on a pop foul, because of course, and the Dodgers were trailing 2-1.
Fortunately, the Blue Jays have bullpen problems of their own, and struggling reliever Drew Storen promptly walked Chase Utley and issued a double to Corey Seager. That marked the end of the day for Storen, and Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna entered to attempt to escape a massive jam. Osuna proceeded to strike out Justin Turner, and after an intentional walk to Adrian Gonzalez to load the bases, every Dodgers fans was thinking double play with Yasmani Grandal at the plate. Fortunately, Grandal proved us wrong and hit a deep enough fly ball to score Utley on a sac fly and tie the game 2-2.
By some miracle, Kendrick then followed with a single to right, which scored Seager and gave the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Pedro Baez recorded two outs after being entrusted with the eighth, but had a single sandwiched between, and Kenley Jansen was then brought on to get the four-out save. Kenley, of course, did secure the win on 18 pitches, even if he added a bit of drama by allowing a double.
It was ugly, but a win is a win is a win.
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The Dodgers now travel home to play the Mets in a four-game series, and the first game with feature a pair of lefties in Scott Kazmir and Steven Matz.
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Notes
-Utley is something, man.
–Enrique Hernandez trying to make out with A-Gon.
–Yasiel Puig did this yesterday … for the ladies?
–Charley Steiner calling the last out of yesterday’s win was about as adventurous as Carl Crawford trying to judge a fly ball.
