Dodgers Digest Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Blog
For once it was the offense that had to battle to get runs across the board and the (starting) pitching that was mostly stellar in a 5-4 win for the Dodgers over the Diamondbacks. In the end, a crooked number in the 5th and Julio Urias looking like Julio Urias proved decisive, though things got spicy at the end.
The Dodgers have now won seven of their last eight and three in a row.
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Julio Urias and his now ongoing scoreless inning streak was the story today, as he turned in another great start tonight.
He didn’t get many clean innings, but also wasn’t ever in real trouble. In the 1st, he saw a two-out walk erased by a caught stealing, and after a clean 2nd, he worked around a two-out single and wild pitch in the 3rd. Another two-out single in the 4th went for naught, while a two-out single in the 5th was made very exciting after Carson Kelly drilled a ball to left that was dramatically robbed by David Peralta and brought a smile from Julio.
David Peralta takes one back at his old stomping grounds. pic.twitter.com/tbGG2FzArF
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
A lead-off single in the 6th was a change of pace tonight, but he got the heart of the D-backs order to go groundout, strikeout, and strikeout to end the inning and his outing.
Not gonna say he’s turning it around, but not gonna deny it either: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 95 Pitches
Julio Urias strikes out five over six shutout frames. pic.twitter.com/Bvwyhh5v7o
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
Fortunately, things weren’t that quiet on the other end, as the bats did give Julio the lead against rookie Brandon Pfaadt.
After a 1st frame with just a single, the 2nd saw Peralta single and then score on Enrique Hernandez‘s double that split the gap in left center. Stay hot. 1-0.
Enrique Hernandez stays hot and starts the scoring with a double into the gap. pic.twitter.com/hbYEOrNb7e
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
Pfaadt then allowed just a walk in the 3rd and got a clean 4th, but things got bad for him in a hurry in the 5th.
A James Outman walk was followed by Amed Rosario grounding out but avoiding a double play and advancing to second on a throwing error. That led to back-to-back doubles from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to score two runs and make it 3-0.
Freddie Freeman follows by obliterating a double to trade places with him. pic.twitter.com/4rMeVjVplZ
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
That was followed by a Will Smith single to corner things up, and Max Muncy knocked Pfaadt out of the game with a sacrifice fly that made it 4-0.
The D-backs pen was surprisingly effective, getting out of the 5th without further mess, and getting a clean 6th. The 7th saw an error followed by a double play and a Freddie single was followed by him being picked off, while the 8th had a single but nothing else.
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Taking over for Urias and first out of the pen was Ryan Brasier, who got the first two outs of the 7th. A single and stolen base put him in some danger, but he bounced back with a strikeout to end it.
The 8th was a bit more murky, as Dave Roberts opted for Alex Vesia. While he’s been fine of late, he walked the lead-off batter and then gave up a one-out single to corner the runners. With a righty coming up, Dave went to Brusdar Graterol, who promptly gave up back-to-back singles to plate a pair of runs and cut the lead to 4-2.
He did settle things down after that, battling back from a 3-1 count to get a strikeout, before inducing a can of corn for the third out.
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Thankfully, they did get a run back to make things a bit more comfortable in the 9th. An Outman walk was followed by him stealing second, and Mookie promptly banged a single up the middle for a run and a 5-2 lead.
Mookie Betts provides some late insurance with a single after James Outman walked and stole second. pic.twitter.com/TGSeRt9Z5b
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
The 9th belonged to Evan Phillips, who added excitement back into the game by issuing a one-out walk and then a triple to score a run. A single followed and all of a sudden the lead was down to one at 5-4.
Thankfully, the Dodgers got to take advantage of a weird play where Corbin Carroll didn’t run out of the box and bailed out Phillips as a double play ended the game.
An odd double play ends the game as Corbin Carroll doesn't run out of the box. pic.twitter.com/KKpfAVBgIE
— Chad Moriyama (@ChadMoriyama) August 9, 2023
I’ll take it.
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| NL WEST | RECORD |
|---|---|
| Dodgers | 66-46 |
| Giants | 62-52 (5 GB) |
*Either still playing or will play later.
The mini-series will conclude tomorrow at the same time as today at 3:40 PM HT/6:40 PM PT/9:40 PM ET with Bobby Miller facing Merrill Kelly.
