With the season winding down, the Dodgers find themselves in Arizona, trying to maintain their lead in the NL West, and slam the door to the postseason shut on the Colorado Rockies, who just won’t go away. After a greedy performance last night, from Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers send their up-and-coming ace, Walker Buehler, to the mound.
Cody Bellinger got the boys in blue on the board quickly, with a solo home run to right field in the top of the second inning.
Nothing much happened offensively since that Bellinger home run, but the very good news was a Walker Buehler completely shutting down Arizona. Halfway through the game he was pitching a one hitter (naturally Marte had the only hit), and was just at 50 pitches.
Buehler’s human side kicked in in the sixth inning when he gave up a single and a walk with two out. After a mound visit, David Peralta took a fastball to CF for a double to cash in the runners and flip the game over, 2-1 Diamondbacks.
Down by a run, Yasmani Grandal opened the seventh with a towering TRIPLE to CF. Enrique Hernandez immediately followed with a base hit to score Yaz and tie the game.
In the bottom of the seventh, Roberts got cute with the bullpen. After a quick out from an effective Scott Alexander, he brought in Dylan Floro, who loaded the bases. Quick yank for the successful guy, leaves in the sucky guy to then give up the single to score the go ahead run.
Alex Wood came in with the bases loaded and caught a couple of breaks – an infield hit for the second out at home, a wild pitch that went to backstop, but the runner never left third base. Wood took it all the way down the line, going bases loaded, two out, and a full count, but he got a hot shot right to Justin Turner, that he caught around his right shin to end the inning. Whew, but Arizona was up 3-2.
Loafer Manny Machado opened the eighth with a line drive double. Trouble was, nobody could advance him. Things got dicey again in the bottom of the eighth, but Pedro Baez was able to escape without giving up any runs.
The ninth inning loomed ahead.
Kike led off the ninth with a base hit – and he followed with a stolen base, wild throw gift to third. Chris Taylor chased two strikes and walloped a GR double to the pool. Kike scored and the game was tied once again.
We went to the bottom of the ninth.
Kenta Maeda in. Eduardo Escobar hit one out. The bad guys walked off with a win into the Arizona night.
Load em up and try again tomorrow.
Oscar Martinez
I was born in the shadow of Dodger Stadium and immediately drenched in Dodger Blue. Chavez Ravine is my baseball cathedral, Vin Scully was the golden voice of summer all my life, and Tommy Lasorda remains the greatest Dodgers manager ever. My favorite things are coffee, beer, and the Dodgers beating the Giants. I also blog about my baseball card hobby at All Trade Bait, All the Time.
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Well, Dodgers blow another game for Buehler.
Offense, a miserable 2-12 RISP, 22 LOB. 10 hits and 4 walks, and only 3 runs to show for it.
“The Smirk”, Machado, chokes again with RISP. So what if he got a double. Better off if they benched him for his antics yesterday. Unfair double standard. I guess Farhan wants to stay on “The Smirk’s” Christmas List
Bullpen crashed and burned. Floro left in too long. Maeda seems to be still in a fog, after hitting Walker and finding out Walker needs surgery. Not a good decision by DR to bring him in. DR putting in a Rookie Catcher, Gale, with game on the line. Barnes was doing fine behind the plate. Rookie calls bad pitches.
All in all, a disappointing ugly game, as Dodgers lose ground on the Rocks.
I try to be positive and get behind this team 100%, but they keep stumbling. So consistently inconsistent.
But Machado made a fantastic relay throw home. A strike right to Grandal from shallow left center field. Impressive arm!
Agree, maddeningly inconsistent. Grrrr.
It’s pretty easy to stay positive, though.
They’ll be fine. Lots a talent, good management, great front office.
Just a crazy year.
There is a obsolete reason for the team’s inconsistency, it is the way the line up is built!
You don’t have of a line up made up of mostly of hitters, hitting 250 or below with pop, I don’t care what their numbers tell them!
That lacks real baseball knowledge, and common sense.
Those type of hitters barely hit for an average, and because of that, they won’t get key hits when runners are in scoring position.
And they strike out way to much, to have a productive offense, and decent pitching stops not only their hitting, it stops the cheap HRs they do pick up against subpar pitching, when there is no runners on base!
And if they are like this against the Dbacks pitching, what are they going to do against good pitching?