Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
MEGA-SWEEP OF THE DIAMONDBACKS!
IT’S A THING!
Yes, the Dodgers completed their MEGA-SWEEP of the Diamondbacks with a relatively quiet 3-1 victory. That completes eight straight wins over the D-backs, gives them an 8-2 road trip, and makes them 13-2 in their last 15 games.
Good times.
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Zach Davies, the abandoner, was on the mound for the D-backs this afternoon, and while they didn’t shell him, the lineup did gradually take its toll.
That really started in the 2nd with the one-man pitch count ruiner, Will Smith. He ran up 12 by himself before poking his fifth homer towards the pool for a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers also rallied in the 3rd, starting with a Gavin Lux single and an Austin Barnes walk. After both runners advanced on a deep fly ball, Freddie Freeman drove Lux in with a flipped single the other way and Trea Turner grounded out to score Barnes and up the lead to 3-0.
Davies then settled in, allowing just a single in the 4th and getting a clean 5th. But the 6th saw him allow a single, wild pitch, and walk to put himself in trouble and get removed.
The D-backs pen bailed him out thanks to the Dodgers continuing to struggle on the basepaths. For the third time in two days, they were picked off to basically remove the pressure, and the pen ended up completing scoreless innings in the 7th, 8th, and 9th to keep the score within striking distance.
Signed for a paltry sum of $8 million for just a single year, Tyler Anderson entered today working on a scoreless inning streak of 14 and exited with that streak standing at 20.
The only clean inning he had came in the 4th thanks to a stellar Kevin Pillar play, but he was also never really in danger.
Maybe worse luck could’ve resulted in a run here or there, but the D-backs only got four at-bats with RISP against him and he looked in control the entire game. Anderson’s ERA is down to 2.90 now, and more importantly his FIP is 3.27, which is down more than a run: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 79 Pitches.
In the 7th, David Price took over and allowed just an infield single in a scoreless outing. He handed things off to Evan Phillips in the 8th, who gave up a single and a walk, but was helped out by a double play and was never in serious distress.
With the save situation in play, Craig Kimbrel was back on the mound today after having yesterday off. He started off strong with a three-pitch strikeout, then got a bit unlucky with a curve that grazed a foot for a hit-by-pitch, but rebounded with a fly out. However, a triple scored a run and brought the tying run to the plate, but mercifully Kimbrel got a punch out to complete the mega-sweep.
3-1.
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The Dodgers improve to 33-14 and maintain a 3-game lead over the Padres in the NL West.
Well, that was a nightmare of a road trip for my sleep schedule, but the Dodgers will return home tomorrow against the Pirates at 4:10 PM HT/7:10 PM PT/10:10 PM ET with Walker Buehler facing Zach Thompson.
