Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Yankees prevailed in a hard-fought game during the series rubber match, beating the Dodgers 4-1 on a pair of RBI groundouts and a late insurance homer.
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Bobby Miller got his shot and has basically forced his way into the rotation of the Dodgers, turning in his first scoreless start of his young career.
Things didn’t actually start especially smooth, as he labored through the 1st, issuing two walks en route to striking out the side. But Miller rebounded in the 2nd to get the side in order, and he bailed out Max Muncy in the 3rd with back-to-back strikeouts after Max’s error (and a steal) put a runner in scoring position. That was the last runner who would get past first base against Miller, as he allowed just a two-out single in the 5th the rest of the way.
Some wanted him to go further, but given he had shoulder issues in Spring Training and that he only started to ramp up in May, I was fine with his removal: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 86 Pitches.
Bobby Miller strikes out 7, has now allowed 2 runs on 9 hits in 17 innings, including 16 strikeouts and 4 walks. pic.twitter.com/msIW5Hqnmn
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 5, 2023
Things unfortunately quickly went awry for the Dodgers pen, as Brusdar Graterol gave up a one-out single and then a bunt single followed as Brusdar failed to simply eat the ball and instead threw it into right field to put runners on second and third. That allowed Kyle Higashioka to get absolutely sawed off but still score the run on a grounder just past the mound, and despite Graterol getting out of it without further damage, it was 1-0 to the Yankees.
On the board ? pic.twitter.com/EnyguWOKmt
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 5, 2023
The other side? Well, it wasn’t mentioned because Domingo German had been absolutely rolling. The lineup got a two-out double against him in the 2nd, a two-out single in the 5th that was erased on a steal attempt, and a one-out walk that became a scoring chance after a steal with two outs, but nothing came of any of them.
They did get unlucky on some line drives, but in the 7th, J.D. Martinez showed them the easiest way to guarantee a run: hit a fucking dinger. His 14th dong of the year tied the game at 1-1.
LMAO pic.twitter.com/d8NJu0d0lb https://t.co/r8y9pnCmup
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 5, 2023
After an infield dribbler for a single, German’s night was over.
A walk from the pen followed to put a pair on and the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the rally ended there.
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Evan Phillips then entered for the Dodgers in the 8th, and he issued a one-out walk and then gave up a double to put a pair in scoring position. Unfortunately, there was a case of deja vu when Oswaldo Cabrera hit a grounder to second soft enough that the runner from third was able to score to make it 2-1. The rally ended there but the damage was done.
One more ? pic.twitter.com/T14jh6E5bF
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 5, 2023
Caleb Ferguson followed in the 9th to keep the deficit at one, but gave up a walk and then allowed a homer to Anthony Volpe to give the Yankees a 4-1 cushion.
Not that it mattered, as the bats couldn’t push across anything in the final two innings and the Dodgers went quietly. Hell, it was even humiliating as Will Smith got picked off first in the 9th despite being down three fucking runs.
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Aaron Boone and Dave Roberts.
USC/UCLA pic.twitter.com/ciBOyNrpGR
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) June 5, 2023
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| NL WEST | RECORD |
|---|---|
| Diamondbacks | 35-25 (Own Tiebreaker) |
| Dodgers | 35-25 (0 GB) |
*Either still playing or will play later.
The Dodgers will have another day off tomorrow as they embark on a short six-game road trip. That’ll start in Cincinnati against the Reds at 1:10 PM HT/4:10 PM PT/7:10 PM ET, with Tony Gonsolin (1.77 ERA/4.83 xERA/5.50 DRA) facing Luke Weaver (5.36/4.19/4.47).
