Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The Dodgers have been a .500 team for quite a while now, primarily due to their struggles in getting healthy. Today they managed to piece together one of the gritty wins they need, totaling 16 hits during a pen game to secure a 8-3 win over the Diamondbacks.
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Merrill Kelly started for the D-backs, with the Dodgers starting a two-out rally with two singles in the 1st but nothing came of it. That set the table for the 2nd, when Cody Bellinger reached on an infield single and Matt Beaty singled, but then the Dodgers made back-to-back outs. However, this time Chris Taylor and Max Muncy both singled to drive in runs, and then a first and third play led to CT3 “stealing home” for a 3-0 lead.
The Dodgers pen game started with Mitch White, who worked around a double in the 1st and then got the side in order in the 2nd and 3rd. But with one out in the 4th, he issued a walk and then Kole Calhoun ambushed a first-pitch breaking ball to line a homer and cut the lead to 3-2. After he got the second out, White was relieved, but he certainly did well and gave them surprising length.
Garrett Cleavinger entered and got out of the 4th with a strikeout, then continued in the 5th, starting by giving up a lead-off homer to Nick Ahmed to tie the game at 3-3. After a single, sacrifice, and walk, he too exited the game. Cleavinger was rescued by Victor Gonzalez, who induced a double play to end the 5th. Alex Vesia got the 6th, giving up a single, but facing the minimum by inducing a double play.
Since the 2nd inning barrage, Kelly had pitched four scoreless and limited his pitch count, so he started the 7th as well. After an out, he issued a walk and was surprisingly pulled from the game. Stefan Crichton entered and immediately surrendered a two-run dong to Justin Turner for a 5-3 lead. He then gave up back-to-back singles to Will Smith and AJ Pollock before getting pulled.
Ryan Buchter entered and gave up a single to Cody Bellinger on a comebacker that hit his foot, and then Albert Pujols made it four straight hits with a clean single into left to plate a run. Billy McKinney contributed another run on a ground out to make it 7-3.
J.B. Bukauskas worked around a double in the 8th, but Jake Faria was not as fortunate. After giving up a lead-off double to Pollock, he stole third, and Albert Pujols scored him with a one-out single to make it 8-3.
Joe Kelly took over in the 7th, getting a 1-2-3 frame, and Blake Treinen repeated the feat in the 8th. The lead allowed Edwin Uceta to close things out without issue in the 9th.
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The Dodgers improve to 63-43 on the year, and keep pace with the Giants to remain 3 games back in the NL West.
The rubber match will be tomorrow at 10:10 AM HT/1:10 PM PT/4:10 PM ET with Julio Urias facing Caleb Smith.
