Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
After a brutal loss yesterday, which was also preceded by a brutal loss (any loss to the Pirates), the Dodgers now have their first losing streak of the season after another brutal loss, dropping a 12-10 game to the Phillies tonight.
In a back-and-forth contest, it was the bats and bullpen of the Phillies who won it down the stretch, handing the Dodgers their third loss in a row.
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Starting on regular rest for the injured Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler had probably his worst start of the year, not getting a clean inning until his last.
After working around a single in the 1st, he then gave up three more in the 2nd, including a two-out one to Bryson Stott that scored two runs for an early Phillies lead. It could’ve been worse if not for Freddie Freeman.
Buehler then had to work around a double in the 3rd, and then was trusted to protect a new lead in the 4th, but he gave it all back in one swoop. After a one-out double, with two down Buehler then gave up a single to Stott again to score a run, and then gave up a no-doubt bomb to Kyle Schwarber to right to tie the game.
Buehler finally got a 1-2-3 frame in the 5th, but he obviously isn’t going to be happy with this outing: 5 IP, 9 H, 5 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 92 Pitches.
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So obviously that was all not great from the Dodgers perspective, but it also meant that they did get to Kyle Gibson. After two clean innings, the bats came alive in the 3rd. Chris Taylor started things by leading off with his second homer of the year, and back-to-back doubles from Austin Barnes and Mookie Betts led to another run being plated. After a walk to Freeman, later with two outs Max Muncy came through with a single to score Mookie, and Justin Turner smacked yet another double to plate both Freeman and Muncy to tie the game at 5-5.
Gibson got through the inning and continued in the 4th but quickly found trouble there as well, with CT3 leading off again with a hit, this time a single. After he advanced to second on a ground out, Barnes came up big again with a single to make it 6-5. Eventually Gibson got knocked out of the game in the 4th.
So at that point it was a battle of the pens, which would seem to heavily favor the Dodgers, but it was their pen who ended up relenting first. Alex Vesia started the 6th and retired none of the three batters he faced, loading the bases on a single and two walks.
Evan Phillips was then tasked to stop the bleeding and really didn’t do that, allowing a sacrifice fly to Alec Bohm to tie the game, giving up a double to Bryce Harper to plate another, and then Nick Castellanos singled to left and the only reason he didn’t end up charged with a run was Taylor throwing out Harper at the plate. All three runs ended up being charged to Vesia in an ugly inning that left the score 8-6.
Meanwhile, the Phillies pen was actually doing well since taking over in the 4th, retiring six batters in a row to start. But with two outs in the 6th, the Dodgers rallied: Barnes hit another single for a three-hit day, Mookie singled the other way to corner the runners, and Freeman walked to the load the bases. The Dodgers ended up getting just one run back on a Trea Turner hit-by-pitch to make it 8-7, as Max struck out on a 3-2 count to end the threat.
Of course, almost predictably at this point, the Dodgers pen was next to falter. After Tommy Kahnle walked two in the 7th but still managed a scoreless frame, Harper homered off Phil Bickford in the 8th for an insurance run to push the Phillies lead to 9-7.
Craig Kimbrel, who was MIA yesterday, was finally rested enough or whatever to be available down a couple runs in the 9th. He was forced to throw 25 pitches thanks to striking out two, allowing an infield single and having another runner reach on a Muncy error, but the score was the same at least.
Meanwhile, the Phillies pen kept them quiet in the 7th and 8th, but in the 9th the Dodgers rallied a bit off Jeurys Familia behind a Trea single and then a Justin Turner no-doubter to deep left to tie the game at 9-9.
Unfortunately, it was another comeback that quickly went the other direction. Brusdar Graterol pitched the 10th, and after a groundout advanced the ghost runner to start things, the Dodgers intentionally walked Harper. Castellanos made them pay, yanking a ground-ball double to left to plate both runners. Castellanos himself then scored after he stole third and Barnes threw the ball down the left-field line.
12-9.
Amazingly the Dodgers got right back into it after back-to-back walks to start the 9th, which loaded the bases. But Mookie grounded into a double play to make it 12-10, and after a walk to bring the winning run to the plate, Trea basically got screwed by the umpire.
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Baseball.
Phillies outfield defense is wild.
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The Dodgers fall to 20-11 on the year now, have lost three in a row for the first time this year, and are now tied for the NL West lead with the Padres. Joy.
Again, same time tomorrow at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET as they try to keep hope of a split alive with Julio Urias against Ranger Suarez.
