Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
For the life of them, the Dodgers cannot win back-to-back games against the Diamondbacks, as after tonight’s 6-3 loss they have now alternated results through their first six meetings this year. The loss snaps their short three-game win streak.
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The game was a back-and-forth affair basically all the way through.
The exchanges started in the 1st, with Mookie Betts leading off against Madison Bumgarner with a double, advancing on a passed ball, and then scoring on a J.D. Martinez sacrifice fly to make it 1-1. Back-to-back walks followed and made for another threat, but the Dodgers couldn’t push anything else across.
The D-backs quickly struck back against Clayton Kershaw with a lead-off double of their own, an infield single, and a run-scoring groundout to tie things up at 1-1. Like the Dodgers, they had a bigger threat later after a walk to put two runners on, but they weren’t able to capitalize.
The scoreline was altered moments after this, as James Outman turned on the first pitch he saw from MadBum and blasted it to right for a 2-1 lead. Again though, a two-out rally that saw runners cornered resulted in nothing.
After a scoreless 2nd for Kershaw, a one-out walk came back to haunt him in the 3rd, as a two-out single put runners at the corners and was cashed in on an infield single by Corbin Carroll that Miguel Vargas gloved but couldn’t make a play on. 2-2.
Bumgarner kept the Dodger quiet in the 3rd, but again the scoreline changed moments after the D-backs tied it, as Chris Taylor led off the 4th with a solo shot to left to make it 3-2.
Bumgarner didn’t last through the 5th, as a lead-off single was followed by a pair of outs, but back-to-back walks loaded the bases and MadBum unfortunately gave way to Drey Jameson. Unfortunate because Jameson was impressive, escaping the jam and retiring seven of the eight batters he faced and getting through the 7th.
That work by Drey became key because Kershaw seemed to be cruising a bit after a scoreless 4th and a clean 5th (his first of the game), but the 6th started with back-to-back homers from Evan Longoria and Carroll to put the Diamondbacks in front 4-3.
Kershaw didn’t have his best stuff today but looked like he fought through it until the end right there: 6 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 91 Pitches.
Brusdar Graterol took over for him in the 7th and posted a dominant 1-2-3 frame. He was followed by Yency Almonte in the 8th, who gave up two doubles and an infield single for a pair of runs that gave Arizona insurance in a 6-3 lead.
Dave Roberts had to go with Shelby Miller to end the frame with an out, which he thankfully did.
The game ended with Miguel Castro pitching a scoreless 8th and getting the first out of the 9th before Andrew Chafin closed out the game with the final two outs while allowing just a walk.
The offense had nine walks but had just five hits, going 0-for-4 with RISP and leaving 10 on base.
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New weirdness from the pitch clock rules.
Ruh-roh.
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5-3, sigh.
The third game of the four-game set starts a bit earlier at 2:10 PM HT/5:10 PM PT/8:10 PM ET with Noah Syndergaard facing off against Zach Davies, which is another rematch.
