Phillies 4, Dodgers 3: Sloppy game of defensive mistakes & stranded runners costs Dodgers

Following yesterday’s blowout loss to the Phillies, the Dodgers lost again tonight in a close one, which actually made it more frustrating. Instead of getting outplayed, they played themselves with a bunch of mistakes in the field and at the plate that ultimately cost them the game in a 4-3 loss.

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Kyle Schwarber started the scoring and the game for the Phillies offense against Gavin Stone by homering for an early 1-0 lead.

Stone was in trouble again in the 2nd after a double that Miguel Vargas butchered in left, a single, and a stolen base led to a run crossing on a groundout to double the lead to 2-0.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers did manage to chip away at Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez. After getting just a Shohei Ohtani single and stolen base through three innings, the Dodgers rallied in the 4th behind singles from Teoscar Hernandez and Andy Pages to corner things with one out, which allowed a Miguel Rojas groundout to cut the deficit to 2-1.

In the very next inning, an Enrique Hernandez walk and Austin Barnes single led to the runners being cornered with one out again, and this time Ohtani singled to tie the game at 2-2.

Unfortunately, both times they weren’t able to add on, and after a double plays helped Stone get through the 3rd and 4th scoreless, the 5th was … unlucky for him.

Whit Merrifield let the inning off with a routine fly ball to Pages in center, who lost it in the lights for a triple. Stone rebounded to get two grounders for outs without letting the runner score. He then got another grounder, but Rojas of all people didn’t field it cleanly for an “infield hit” and a run. After a double, Stone was removed.

Anthony Banda entered and gave up another bouncing grounder that went for an infield single to increase the frustration and make it 4-2. He was able to get out of the inning after a double steal attempt was erased at home.

Blake Treinen took over for Banda in the 6th, getting a pair of strikeouts in a clean frame, Alex Vesia got a scoreless 7th, and Daniel Hudson followed with a 1-2-3 frame in the 8th. So the Phillies were kept quiet at least the rest of the game.

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On the other side, Sanchez was done after a clean 6th, and the pen made things interesting.

A lead-off double for Chris Taylor was followed by a confusing James Outman at-bat in which he buried himself in an 0-2 hole by squaring around on two bunt attempts and then striking out on the third pitch. It hurt more when Barnes singled to corner the runners, and then Ohtani struck out and Teoscar flew out to end the threat. Just a sequence of mistakes that always seem to cost them.

Anyway, they rallied again in the 8th, as an Pages double was followed by an apparent Rojas double to make it 4-3. However, he was called out at second after Bryson Stott appeared to push his foot off the bag, and that about killed the rally.

The Dodgers did shit in the 9th.

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2024 Home Run Derby stuff, as Teoscar is participating.

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NL WESTRECORD
Dodgers55-38
Padres49-47 (7.5 GB)

The series will conclude tomorrow at 12:05 PM HT/3:05 PM PT/6:05 PM ET with Landon Knack facing Aaron Nola.

About Chad Moriyama

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"A highly rational Internet troll." - Los Angeles Times