Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers got off to a nice start to the series against the Phillies with a 3-1 victory, totaling just three hits but having two of them be homers seems to work nicely enough. The Dodgers have now won six of their last seven games.
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After struggling in his season debut, where he threw 66 pitches to get just five outs, Tony Gonsolin took the mound again looking to put together something longer. While he did that, the Cat Man also didn’t necessarily look like himself just yet.
The trouble started immediately with a walk and a double to start off the game. After a strikeout, Gonsolin allowed a single to Bryce Harper that scored a run to make it 1-0 in the 1st. He rebounded with a fly out to shallow center, but then walked the bases loaded before escaping with a strikeout to end it.
Gonsolin allowed a “double” in the 2nd — due to Zach McKinstry taking a route Magellan would be proud of — that the Phillies didn’t cash in, and then got a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd. However, mess came again in the 4th, as a walk and a single started the frame. After two strikeouts with a nice bit of help from the umpire, Tony exited the game having minimized the damage but not at all looking locked in: 3.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K, 81 Pitches.
David Price entered in relief and seemed to get out of it with a routine bouncer to Chris Taylor, but he bobbled it and the bases were loaded. Showing no panic, the veteran lefty promptly induced a grounder to end the inning.
On the other end, Phillies swingman Spencer Howard was cruising against the Dodgers, retiring the first nine batters he faced. While he walked Mookie Betts to start the 4th, he got the next two outs and didn’t seem in major danger, but then Will Smith parked his seventh dinger of the year to left-center and it was 2-1 Dodgers.
Price continued in the 5th, getting an out but the surrendering a single that caused Dave Roberts to go with Joe Kelly. Understandably that was a bit puzzling to many, but it paid immediate dividends in the form of an inning ending double play.
Similarly, Howard also continued in the 5th, and he was hurt immediately by Taylor’s ninth dong of the year being smashed to left to double the lead at 3-1. That was the end of his night.
Send Chris Taylor to the All-Star Game.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) June 15, 2021
🗳: https://t.co/BXKr9ILkke pic.twitter.com/tq98MoeRcT
Connor Brogdon took over 5th and kept the lineup at bay, then Bailey Falter got the 6th and did the same. The 7th was a bit more difficult for him as a single and a wild pitch put a RISP, but nothing came of it. Falter also got a scoreless 8th, ending up going three innings and doing nice work.
For the Dodgers, Kelly went on in the 6th, getting back-to-back outs to start but then giving up a single and giving way. Victor Gonzalez entered and gave up a single of his own to put the go-ahead run at the plate, but induced a fly out to end things.
Blake Treinen was tasked with entering an inning early than usual in the 7th, and started with a strikeout. He then gave up an infield single and then what seemed like a game-tying homer to Harper … but it thankfully fell short on the track. He then came right back, though, notching another strikeout.
Jimmy Nelson was then given the setup role in the 8th, presumably due to matchups or something, and absolutely cruised through the inning on a ground out and two strikeouts.
Kenley Jansen was back to close out the game for the second night in a row, getting a lineout, a weak grounder, and a breaking off a nasty slider to get a strikeout to end the game.
Easy enough.
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The Dodgers improve to 40-26 on the year, and remain 1 game back of the Giants in the NL West after they won tonight.
The series continues tomorrow at the usual time of 4:10 PM HST/7:10 PM PST/10:10 PM EST. Julio Urias will face off against Zach Eflin.
