Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
This was an ugly one. There were hit batters, a bunch of walks, busted balls and even blood. Neither starting pitcher was sharp or efficient, and the home plate umpire was having a night as well.
Walker Buehler didn’t have his command, hitting two batters and walking three. The bullpen took the day off as well, and combined they allowed 11 runs in innings five and six as the Dodgers dropped the series finale in Miami, 13-7.
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It wasn’t all bad. The Dodgers hit another four home runs including Cody Bellinger‘s 40th #BelliBomb of the season. Kenley Jansen also put up a zero in the seventh. We’ll get to that in a bit.
The Marlins took their first lead of the series, scoring a run in the first frame of the series finale at Marlins Park. Buehler hit leadoff hitter Jon Berti with a pitch, Isan Diaz singled, and Brian Anderson blooped a RBI single to center field in front of A.J. Pollock.
Buehler had trouble finding his rhythm and command all day. He loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the third after a leadoff Jon Berti double and two walks. Starlin Castro‘s sacrifice fly gave the Marlins a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Bellinger got to second after a walk and a stolen base. Even then, the poor guy got hit with the throw from catcher Jorge Alfaro right in the baseballs on the stolen base attempt.
Not how you’d expect Cody’s 40th dong of the year to go pic.twitter.com/v9cAm2xLU4
— MLB Insider Dinger (@atf13atf) August 15, 2019
Then center fielder Lewis Brinson made a diving catch to rob Corey Seager of a RBI base hit, stranding Bellinger and preserving the no-hitter for Smith. The catch was questionable as the ball seemed to bounce after it hit Brinson’s glove, but the Dodgers didn’t challenge. Sigh.
The Dodgers finally got a hit in the fifth. Kyle Garlick broke up the no-hitter and the shutout with one swing. His solo dong cut the Marlins’ lead, 2-1.
The Fish scored two more runs in the home half of the fifth. Buehler hit Berti for the second time, Diaz singled, and Anderson drove in two with a booming double to left field. That would be it for Buehler. It was his shortest start of the season since April 11.
Buehler’s line: 4 IP, 5 R, 5 H, 6 K, 3 BB, 86 pitches (54 strikes).
The disastrous six-run fifth inning continued. Pedro Baez came in to relieve Buehler, and the Marlins took advantage with nobody out. Baez walked Garrett Cooper, and Starlin Castro knocked him in with a single to center. Pollock is playing center field with a groin issue, and he’s obviously not able to play defense at 100%.
Another walk brought Alfaro up with the bases loaded, and he went the other way to cash in the sixth run of the day for the Marlins. JT Chargois came in and promptly gave up a two-RBI double to Brinson. Kristopher Negron also came up bloody when he slammed his face on the ground in an attempt to make the catch and had to come out of the game.
The Dodgers’ bats woke up a bit against the Miami bullpen in the sixth as Max Muncy hit his 29th homer, a two-run shot against Jose Quijada. Seager also homered in the inning, his 12th.
Chippin' away. pic.twitter.com/MN1qyWERZS
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 15, 2019
Don Mattingly‘s Marlins added five more runs in the sixth off Chargois and Caleb Ferguson. Castro and Alfaro both drove in three runs in the game.
Bellinger, with the high socks, hit his 40th dong of the season off Austin Brice, a three-run shot in the seventh making it 13-7. That was the Dodgers’ 14th home run of the series, setting a new franchise record for a three-game series.
A career-high 40 homers!
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 15, 2019
Say hello to your new MLB home run leader, @Cody_Bellinger! pic.twitter.com/dKVXhKBvdy
Cody Bellinger is the new MLB home run leader, setting a career high with his 40th of the year. The Dodgers are also the first team since at least 1908 to hit 4+ homers in four straight games. https://t.co/46MuOs89N0
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) August 15, 2019
Jansen and Adam Kolarek each got scoreless innings, but the offense couldn’t mount a miraculous comeback.
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The Dodgers fall to 81-42 and 33-26 on the road. The Yankees will get a shot to be the first team to 82 wins when they take on the Indians today.
Next up the Dodgers head to Hotlanta to finish their road trip. They’ll open up the series against the Braves (72-50) at 4:20 PM PST on Friday. Kenta Maeda (8-8, 4.12 ERA, 4.10 FIP) starts for the Dodgers in the series opener. They’ll face a very good 22-year old right-hander in Mike Soroka (10-2, 2.32 ERA, 3.19 FIP). Soroka currently holds the second-best ERA in the majors and third-highest ground-ball percentage (54.5%). He’s never faced the Dodgers.
