Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
Coming into Miami as winners of nine in a row, the Dodgers found ways to lose in a 5-4 loss to the Marlins.
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Marlins rookie starter Trevor Rogers is an All-Star, and while the Dodgers gave him more trouble than he usually faces, he managed to still be effective.
Rogers allowed two singles in the 2nd, but didn’t give up any damage. The 3rd was different as Walker Buehler led off with a surprising double, a passed ball advanced him to third, and then a Chris Taylor double and a one-out Justin Turner single drove in the game’s first runs to make it 2-0.
Rogers toughed out two more innings after this before exiting after the 5th due to a building pitch count.
Buehler didn’t get named to the All-Star team and his time on the mound was rather miserable, though not necessarily due to his performance. After two scoreless but non-clean innings, he started the 3rd with two strikeouts. However, he then went hit by pitch, stolen base, single, stolen base, single, single, and error to plate three runs before he got out of it. The worst part is that none of the singles were hit hard and he basically just got BABIP’d to death.
The 4th continued the trend for him, as a bunt single led to a stolen base and error, then eventually a single made it 4-2 for the Marlins. Buehler managed a scoreless frame to close his day, but obviously wasn’t happy with things: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R (3 ER), 2 BB, 6 K, 93 Pitches.
In the 6th, Scott Alexander came off the IL for a scoreless inning, and while Edwin Uceta gave up a single that was bunted into scoring position and a walk, he also kept a scoreless inning. Uceta also had a glove check or something.
On the Marlins side, Steven Okert got a perfect 6th, but surrendered a one-out double in the 6th. Zach Pop relieved him and issued a walk but escaped damage in the 7th. He couldn’t say the same in the 8th, when he continued by allowing an Albert Pujols single and back-to-back walks to Will Smith and Max Muncy to load the bases before leaving.
David Hess then entered, issuing a walk to Gavin Lux to force in a run and then giving up a deep sacrifice fly to Cody Bellinger to tie the game at 4-4. After a walk to Mookie Betts loaded the bases again, a foul pop from Taylor and an AJ Pollock strikeout ended the threat and cost them a gigantic scoring chance.
With the game now tied, Victor Gonzalez entered in the 8th, and he cruised through the first two batters. He also had Jorge Alfaro setup, down in the count 1-2, but missed location across the plate with a slider, which was punished with a homer to make it 5-4.
Outstanding rookie closer Anthony Bender then looked to end things in the 9th, which started oddly after Turner grounded a ball to third but reached after a throwing error and collision at first. No matter, as Bender got the next three batters to end the game.
A loss is a loss, but what a frustrating mess. Between the unearned run on a routine grounder, the BABIP luck costing at least two other runs, falling feet short of a grand slam, being gifted a late comeback inning through walks and failing to take full advantage, and giving up the game on a two-out 1-2 pitch, there were an impressive amount of chances to get or prevent the extra runs needed.
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The Dodgers are 53-32 on the season and remain 0.5 games back of the Giants in the NL West.
Game tomorrow at 1:10 PM HST/4:10 PM PST/7:10 PM EST with Tony Gonsolin facing Pablo Lopez.
