Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
The last time the Dodgers lost five games in a row was April 2019, and they managed to avoid updating that to today thanks to a 5-4 walk-off win over the Phillies this afternoon.
It ended up being the Gavin Lux game today, for better and worse.
Easily the best win of the year.
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Michael Grove made his MLB debut, being the first pitcher under Andrew Friedman to make the jump from AA straight to the bigs. He started things off well, going a clean 1st frame, including his first MLB strikeout.
The 2nd was a disaster, though he certainly deserved better. Grove got two outs through the K with a single between, then gave up a stolen base and a walk, but seemed to get out of the inning with a grounder to second. However, Lux let it go right through the wickets to score the game’s first run.
That wasn’t so bad by itself, but it snowballed as a double and a single followed to score three more runs to make it four unearned. It could’ve been a lot worse too with a single and a walk following that to load the bases, but Grove got out of it. He then bounced back with a clean 3rd frame, and issued a walk but got two outs in the 4th before leaving to end his debut.
3.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R (0 ER), 3 BB, 3 K, 70 Pitches
Solid, all things considered.
In relief of Grove was Phil Bickford, who closed out the 4th on just two pitches and then faced the minimum in the 5th despite a hit-by-pitch thanks to a double play. Alex Vesia got a scoreless 6th even though he gave up a double, but that was nothing compared to the trouble Yency Almonte faced. In the 7th he surrendered three walks and a single but gave up no runs thanks to a double play and kept things close.
Shane Greene made his season debut in a scoreless 8th, giving up a single but nothing else. He then continued in the 9th, giving up a single again but still keeping the deficit intact. That would prove significant.
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For the Phillies it was Aaron Nola on the mound and they needed him to go deep, which he did. After giving up a double in the 1st, he got a clean 2nd, but Mookie Betts got him in the 3rd for his team-leading seventh homer to get the Dodgers on the board at 4-1.
The Dodgers then got something going in the 4th as well and looked poised for a big inning behind a Trea Turner walk and a steal, a Will Smith single to corner the runners, and a Max Muncy single to cut the lead to 4-2.
But the rally died there with a bit of quality defense from the Phillies of all teams. A Justin Turner hard-hit grounder was gloved on a diving play and resulted in a double play, which was followed by a Cody Bellinger strikeout to end the threat.
After issuing a walk (and stolen base) to Chris Taylor in the 5th, Nola then retired eight batters in a row until hitting CT3 in the 7th and ending his outing with a CT3 stolen base being reversed on review.
That’s when the maligned Phillies pen got involved, with Jeurys Familia being handed the 8th and getting into immediate trouble with a Lux walk. The next at-bat slowed to a snail-like pace with three pickoff attempts and trouble getting the signs, but it ended with Mookie Betts yanking a double down the line in left to score Lux and make it 4-3.
At that point the Dodgers looked to be in business, but like they have done throughout this series, they immediately killed off the threat with a Trea Turner first-pitch GIDP and then Will Smith rifling a ball back up the middle right to a perfectly positioned fielder to end the threat.
Old friend Corey Knebel was tasked with closing things out in the 9th and cruised through the first two outs of the inning, but then got into trouble with a Bellinger triple and CT3 walk.
That setup Lux for a chance at redemption, and with CT3 running on the pitch, he yanked a curve down the line in right for a double to easily plate both runs and take the game down dramatically, 5-4.
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Odubel Herrera swung and missed at a pitch that went between his legs.
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21-12 on the year now and tied with the Padres in the NL West.
The Dodgers welcome the Diamondbacks for a four-game set starting tomorrow at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Tony Gonsolin facing long-time nemesis Madison Bumgarner.
