Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After the Diamondbacks came back on the Dodgers twice in the last two games to take the series, it felt like dejavu all over again tonight as they blew another late lead and then added a late rally falling short for good measure in their third straight loss, a 6-5 defeat.
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As they have done frequently recently, the Dodgers jumped out to a lead. Justin Turner smashed his 26th dong of the year in the 3rd to get the scoring started.
They added to the lead in the next inning with Will Smith hitting his 13th dong of the year to start things.
After Chris Taylor walked later, Jedd Gyorko doubled to center, adding yet another run to make it a 3-0 lead in the 4th.
Unfortunately, Clayton Kershaw gave the lead right back. After three scoreless frames to start, he issued a lead-off walk in the 4th and then later gave up back-to-back homers to Christian Walker and Wilmer Flores to tie the game at 3-3.
The bats fought back in the 5th, starting things with an A.J. Pollock double and a Turner single to put runners at the corners. After JT advanced to second on a wild pitch, Enrique Hernandez hit a sacrifice fly to provide a 4-3 lead, but they were unable to get anything more.
Kershaw continued to struggle, again giving it back to the Diamondbacks and then some in their half of the 5th. A walk, a single, and a two-run double put the Dodgers down 5-4.
After 23 starts in 2019 of going six innings, his streak came to an end tonight. He went just five and struck out six, but surrendered the five runs on five hits and two walks.
Yimi Garcia and Pedro Baez kept the score at 5-4 in the 6th and 7th innings, both getting scoreless frames with two strikeouts and the only base runner allowed was Yimi hitting a batter. Unfortunately, Kenley Jansen continued to struggle, giving up a homer to Eduardo Escobar to start the 9th and make it a 6-4 game before getting the next three batters.
Meanwhile, the offense couldn’t get another run across, however. They stranded RISP in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, but didn’t get another runner into scoring position in the 6th through 8th frames.
They suddenly changed that in the 9th off nemesis and noted pants pooper Archie Bradley. CT3 started a rally with a single, Cody Bellinger doubled, and Joc Pederson walked to load the bases. Things were going swimmingly, but Matt Beaty yanked a curve but was robbed by Walker at first who completed a double play, cutting the lead to 6-5 but obviously getting the big two outs.
Russell Martin then followed with a ground out and that was it.
2017 here we come!
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The Dodgers are now 88-50.
