Max Muncy makes Diamondbacks ‘pay’ by hitting walk-off homer in Dodgers’ win
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 7-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks were stuck in a predicament in the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Do you throw to Mookie Betts in a 3-1 count with the winning run at second base? Do you have right-hander J.B. Bukauskas walk him with first base open to bring up Max Muncy, a left-handed slugger, and set up a double play? Or do you walk Betts and pitch around Muncy with Justin Turner, a right-handed hitter, on deck? Betts was rolling in recent days, but Muncy has been one of the big leagues’ elite hitters for three months and Turner is one the few hitters in the majors with a batting average above .300.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo chose to walk Betts and pitch to Muncy. The result was predictable for clubs residing on opposite ends of the standings. Muncy whacked the fourth pitch he saw into the right-field pavilion for a walk-off, three-run home run, sending the Dodgers (56-35) to the All-Star break with a 7-4 win.
Dodgers win on Max Muncy’s walk-off homer
Diamondbacks: Right-hander Kenley Jansen now pitching for the Dodgers. McKinstry in left. Varsho popped to first. Ahmed flied to right. Rojas singled to left. Fairchild fouled to first.
Dodgers: Right-hander J.B. Bukauskas now pitching for the Diamondbacks. Pujols singled to left. Zach Reks ran for Pujols. McKinstry bunted Reks to second. Betts walked. Muncy homered to DEEP right. Great bat flip. Dodgers win.
Final score: Dodgers 7, Diamondbacks 4
Dodgers tie it in eighth, 4-4
Diamondbacks: Right-hander Blake Treinen now pitching for the Dodgers. Pujols in at first. Muncy moves to second. Taylor moves to short. Lux out of the game. Reddick struck out swinging. Kole Calhoun, batting for Mantiply, grounded to second. Vogt flied to deeep right.
Dodgers: Right-hander Noe Ramirez now pitching for the Diamondbacks. Zach McKinstry, batting for the pitcher, walked on five pitches. Betts singled to right, McKinstry stopping at second. Muncy singled to right-center, loading the bases with nobody out. Turner hit a fly to deep right. Reddick lost it and dropped it. Everyone moves up a base. 4-2 Diamondbacks, bases loaded, nobody out. Bellinger struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt. Bad at-bat. Smith was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run. Bases still loaded, one out. 4-3 Diamondbacks. Taylor singled to right-center, scoring Muncy. Smith rounded second too far and was caught in a rundown. Taylor moved up to second. But it’s second and third, two out. Bad baserunning by Smith. But it’s 4-4 now. Pollock popped to short.
Score after eight: Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 4
Diamondbacks take 4-1 lead in seventh inning
Diamondbacks: Left-hander Scott Alexander now pitching for the Dodgers. Vogt singled to left. Varsho homered to center, it’s 4-1 Diamondbacks. Ahmed grounded to first. Rojas grounded to second. VanMeter doubled to right-center. Escobar was walked intentionally. And that’s it for Alexander. Right-hander Phil Bickford coming in to pitch. Walker grounded to third.
Dodgers: Rojas at second base. Stuart Fairchild in left. Smith struck out looking. Taylor singled to center. Pollock grounded to the pitcher, Taylor to second. And that’s it for De Geus. Left-hander Joe Mantiply now pitching. And Albert Pujols bats for Lux. Pujols struck out swinging.
Score after seven: Diamondbacks 4, Dodgers 1
Diamondbacks lead 2-1 after six innings
Diamondbacks: Left-hander Alex Vesia pitching for the Dodgers. Walker grounded to third. Reddick flied to left. Peralta struck out looking.
Dodgers: Betts lined to center. Muncy doubled to right. The Arizona trainer is out to look at the pitcher, Kelly, and they are removing him from the game. Hope he’s OK. Right-hander Brett De Geus in now pitching. Nick Ahmed in at short, Rojas moves to left, Peralta out of the game as part of a double switch. Turner flied to right-center, Muncy to third. Bellinger flied to center.
Score after six: Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1
Diamondbacks take 2-1 lead in fifth
Diamondbacks: Left-hander Darien Nunez pitching for the Dodgers. Kelly struck out looking. Rojas hit a ground-rule double to right. VanMeter singled to left, Rojas scoring with VanMeter thrown out trying to take second. Escobar grounded to third.
Dodgers: Taylor lined to third. Pollock doubled to right. Lux struck out swinging. Matt Beaty, batting for Nunez, grounded to first.
Score after five: Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1
Diamondbacks tie it in top of the fourth
Diamondbacks: Reddick popped to short. Peralta struck out swinging. Vogt homered to right-center, estimated at 389 feet. Varsho lined to center.
Dodgers: Turner grounded to third. Bellinger struck out swinging. Smith struck out swinging.
Score after four: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 1
Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0 after three
Diamondbacks: Rojas walked on six pitches. VanMeter struck out swinging. Escobar struck out swinging. Walker struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Gavin Lux flied to left. Tony Gonsolin grounded to third. Betts singled to left. Muncy flied to center.
Score after three: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
It’s 1-0 Dodgers after two
Diamondbacks: Josh Reddick singled to left. David Peralta grounded to Turner, who bobbled the ball. Everyone safe. Stephen Vogt struck out swinging. Daulton Varsho grounded to second, forcing Peralta, Reddick to third. First and third, two out. Merrill Kelly grounded to short.
Dodgers: Will Smith walked on seven pitches. Chris Taylor grounded into a 5-4-3 double play. AJ Pollock grounded to short.
Score after two: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers take quick 1-0 lead on Mookie Betts’ home run
Diamondbacks: Right-hander Tony Gonsolin on the mound for the Dodgers. Jose Rojas singled to right. Josh VanMeter popped to short. Rojas was caught stealing. Eduardo Escobar singled to short. Christian Walker struck out swinging.
Dodgers: Right-hander Merrill Kelly pitching for the Diamondbacks. The Dodgers scored 22 runs yesterday, which means they will probably score two today. Mookie Betts homered to left, estimated at 379 feet. Max Muncy grounded to first. Justin Turner grounded to second. Cody Bellinger lined to second.
Score after one: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers hope Corey Seager will return for homestand after All-Star break
Corey Seager’s time on the injured list is approaching two months – longer than the Dodgers initially anticipated when he fractured his right hand May 15.
The club was hopeful that he would return at the beginning of July until he suffered a setback. Now the Dodgers eye Seager returning for the team’s first homestand out of the All-Star break.
Manager Dave Roberts said the shortstop will head to Arizona to take at-bats and play in simulated games at the organization’s spring training facility when the team opens the second half in Denver on Friday. From there, if he emerges without a hitch, Seager could come off the injured list July 19 when the Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants without going on rehab assignment.
“I’m an optimistic, hopeful person so I am hopeful that that does happen,” Roberts said. “If it doesn’t, that’s OK and he’ll be ready when he’s ready. I think with Corey, it’s been some time and we just got to make sure that we get him feeling physically, mentally, mechanically, all that stuff, 100 percent.”
Roberts said Seager is taking about 50 swings per day in addition to fielding drills and workouts. Seager encountered a roadblock in his rehab at the end of June when discomfort resurfaced in his hand when he swung a bat. He had recently started taking batting practice on the field with teammates. A rehab assignment seemed imminent.
But those plans were scrapped, forcing the Dodgers to continue playing Gavin Lux at shortstop every day. Lux is batting .233 with six home runs and a .677 OPS in 78 games this season. His OPS is the 16th-lowest among qualified position players across the majors. Seager batted .265 with our home runs and a .783 OPS in 37 games before he was hit by the pitch that broke the fifth metacarpal in his right hand.
The 27-year-old Seager was slumping, but history suggests he’ll rebound. His addition will allow the Dodgers to limit Lux’s playing time to starts at second base against right-handed starters. It’ll give the Dodgers the reigning NLCS and World Series MVP, a menacing presence in the two-hole behind Mookie Betts. The Dodgers hope they don’t have to wait much longer.
Dodgers looking for series win over Diamondbacks after rout
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks on Sunday
After scoring 22 runs in a win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, the Dodgers will try to follow it up with a series win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Merrill Kelly, the only starting pitcher who has been consistently strong for the Diamondbacks, will try to keep the Dodgers’ hitters under control. Arizona is 4-0 in his last four starts and 2-12 when he hasn’t started over the same span. Kelly has not been the same away from Arizona, though. He has a 5.73 ERA with nine home runs allowed over 48 2/3 innings on the road compared to a 3.60 ERA with five home runs in 55 innings at Chase Field.
He will be opposed by Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin, who has allowed one run or fewer in all six of his appearances this season. In his last start against the Miami Marlins, he went more than four innings for the first time this season, tossing 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
The Dodgers are 5-1 with Gonsolin on the mound, backing him up with the fourth-best bullpen ERA in MLB over the last 30 days. The Diamondbacks’ bullpen has the worst ERA in MLB over the same span.
The Diamondbacks have played 25 of their last 40 games over the total while the Dodgers are 23-20 on the run line as a favorite — one of just four MLB teams above .500 as a home favorite on the run line.
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Dodgers tie franchise record by hitting eight home runs in 22-1 rout of Arizona
Highlights from the Dodgers’ 22-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday night.
The offensive spigot opened early for the Dodgers on Saturday night, and once the runs and hits and home runs started flowing, it seemed as if they would never stop.
Five runs in the first inning, four in the second, and after a four-inning break to rest their arms, the Dodgers added a seven-run gusher in the seventh inning and a six-run outburst in the eighth.
By the time they completed their 22-1 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks before a crowd of 44,654 in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers matched a Los Angeles franchise record for runs in a game and tied a franchise record with eight homers, including two each by AJ Pollock and Albert Pujols.
“It’s hard to score runs in this game, and to put up crooked numbers like we did tonight, this is as good as I’ve ever seen,” manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s a sign of a really good club, that regardless of the score, we keep trying to win pitches and not give at-bats away. When you do that, good things can happen.”
Dodgers hit two grand slams and eight home runs in 22-1 win over Diamondbacks
Jake Reed pitched a scoreless ninth as the Dodgers dominated the Arizona Diamondbacks in a historic, 22-1 victory at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.
The eight home runs tied a single-game team record and the 22 runs was the most scored by the franchise since it moved to Los Angeles. It was also the most runs scored by the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
Justin Turner hit his first career grand slam and AJ Pollock and Albert Pujols each hit two homers. Mookie Betts also hit a grand slam and Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry also homered.
The Dodgers improved to 55-35 and the Diamondbacks fell to 26-65.
AJ Pollock and Albert Pujols homer — again — as Dodgers take 22-1 lead
AJ Pollock and Albert Pujols each hit their second home runs of the game and Gavin Lux hit a three-run triple to give the Dodgers a 22-1 lead in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers have eight home runs, tying the team record for most in a single game.
After Pollock’s 12th homer of the season, the Dodgers promptly loaded the bases. Austin Barnes and Mookie Betts each drew walks and Matt Beaty singled to right before Lux sent a sizzler down the right-field line for a triple.
Jordan Weems stayed on the mound after Lux’s hit, striking out Zach Reks before getting yanked in favor of former Dodgers outfielder Josh Reddick. Pujols hit career homer No. 675 off Reddick, who then gave up a double to Garrett Cleavinger. After Pollock drew a walk, Austin Barnes grounded out to cap the inning.
Top of the eighth: Arizona’s Andrew Young hit a solo home run off Cleavinger to get the Diamondbacks on the scoreboard.
Young’s fifth home run of the season was the Diamondbacks’ fourth hit of the game. After opening up his relief stint by giving up a home run, Cleavinger retired the next three Diamondbacks batters.
End of the eighth: Dodgers 22, Diamondbacks 1
Dodgers start home run derby a day early to take 16-0 lead
Bottom of the seventh: Mookie Betts hit a grand slam, Zach McKinstry hit a two-run homer and Albert Pujols blasted out a solo shot in the seventh inning to give the Dodgers a 16-0 lead.
Betts’ sixth career grand slam and 12th homer of the season marked the second time this season the Dodgers have hit two grand slams in a single game. The Dodgers have eight grand slams on the season — one shy of the single-season franchise record.
The grand slam came after AJ Pollock singled, Austin Barnes drew a walk and Matt Beaty singled to load the bases. Three at-bats after Betts’ 12th home run of the season, McKinstry hit his seventh homer of the season and Pujols followed with career home run No. 674 — the Dodgers’ second, back-to-back home run of the game.
Top of the seventh: Dodgers reliever Phil Bickford retired the Arizona side in order on 13 pitches.
End of the seventh: Dodgers 16, Diamondbacks 0
Walker Buehler exits after dominant showing vs. Diamondbacks
Top of the sixth: Walker Buehler retired the Diamondbacks in order to finish his night on the mound. Buehler allowed three hits, no runs, two walks and struck out seven over over 95 pitches to underline what has been an All-Star caliber first half for the 26-year-old starter.
Phil Bickford will take over in relief in the seventh inning.
Bottom of the sixth: Mookie Betts and Justin Turner reached base on singles but were left on the corners when Zach McKinstry and Albert Pujols each grounded out.
End of the sixth: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 0
Days off mean more to banged-up Mookie Betts than playing in All-Star game
Mookie Betts refuses to blame a series of nagging injuries for what he calls a “bad” first half, one in which the Dodgers outfielder hit .245 with a .799 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 11 homers and 33 RBIs entering Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Manager Dave Roberts has a different perspective on the shoulder, forearm and back ailments that Betts has played through without going on the injured list.
“He’s always gonna downplay the physical toll this year has taken on him, which I appreciate,” Roberts said. “But I sort of know what’s going on under the hood.”
Dodgers hold onto 9-0 lead going into the sixth inning
Top of the fifth: Another ho-hum inning for Walker Buehler. He walked Josh Rojas, but struck out Andrew Young and got Bryan Holaday and Pavin Smith to pop out. Buehler is up to seven strikeouts over 80 pitches.
Bottom of the fifth: Dodgers go down in order after Austin Barnes grounds into a double play and Walker Buehler strikes out against Arizona reliever Alex Young.
End of the fifth: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 0
Walker Buehler stays in command for Dodgers
Bottom of the fourth: Justin Turner and Albert Pujols on singles, and Max Muncy was robbed of at least a single on a diving catch by Diamondbacks center fielder Pavin Smith. A fly to deep left off the bat of Cody Bellinger capped the inning with two left on board.
Top of the fourth: Walker Buehler continues to pitch a good game. He allowed a single to David Peralta, but that’s all the Diamondbacks would get after the Dodgers All-Star struck out Christian Walker and got Kole Calhoun and Nick Ahmed to ground out. Buehler has allowed three hits and struck out six.
End of the fourth: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers hold onto 9-0 lead heading into the fourth
Top of the third: Diamondbacks reliever Matt Peacock singled off Walker Buehler, but he was left at first when the Dodgers starter retired the next three batters in order.
Bottom of the third: The scoring floodgates finally closed for the Dodgers. AJ Pollock led off with a single and Buehler drew a walk, but both were left stranded when Austin Barnies popped out to center and Mookie Betts grounded into a double play.
End of third: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 0
Justin Turner hits his first career grand slam to give Dodgers 9-0 lead
Bottom of the second: Justin Turner hit his first career grand slam off Diamondbacks starter Caleb Smith to give the Dodgers a 9-0 lead in the second inning.
Turner’s blast to left field earned him a standing ovation from the Dodger Stadium faithful and ended Smith’s abysmal night on the mound after just one inning of work.
Walker Buehler led off with a single to right before Mookie Betts and Chris Taylor drew walks to load the bases, giving Turner the perfect chance to tee up his 15th homer of the season.
Top of the second: Buehler retired the Diamondbacks in order, striking out Nick Ahmed and Bryan Holaday to get halfway to the Jumbo Jacks line.
End of the second: Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 0
Back-to-back home runs power Dodgers to 5-0 lead over Diamondbacks
Bottom of the first: Cody Bellinger hit a two-run home run and AJ Pollock followed with a solo blast to give the Dodgers a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
Mookie Betts led off with a walk and Chris Taylor singled to left before Max Muncy drove them both in on a line drive into the right-field corner. Bellinger then hit his fourth home run of the season and first homer since June 27 on a blast to right field. Pollock then hit his 11th homer of 2021 on a shot to left field.
It marked the sixth time this season the Dodgers, who are 38-15 when scoring first, hit home runs on consecutive at-bats.
All of the big-hit fireworks came at the expense of Diamondbacks starter Caleb Smith, who needed 35 pitches to get through the inning.
Top of the first: Players are told to battle every at-bat, and the Arizona Diamondbacks definitely did that on the game’s first at-bat.
After Josh Rojas was called out on strikes after fouling off, Arizona manager Torey Lovullo made sure home plate umpire Tony Randazzo understood he made the wrong call. A quick, on-field meeting of the umps restored the at-bat, but the Diamondbacks were miffed again when Rojas was called out four pitches later on what they thought was another foul tip. After another on-field appearance from Lovullo and some vocal disagreement from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, everyone decided Rojas had indeed swung and missed — a call the TV audience could confirm via replay.
Dodgers starter Walker Buehler gave up a double to Pavin Smith on the next at-bat before striking out Eduardo Escobar and Kole Calhoun. It appears the Rojas at-bat didn’t do much to disrupt Buehler’s rhythm.
End of first: Dodgers 5, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler to take mound vs. D-Backs
Newly minted National League All-Star Walker Buehler will take the mound for the Dodgers against Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Caleb Smith in Chavez Ravine on Saturday night.
Buehler, who is 8-1 with a 2.49 ERA in 17 starts this season, with 107 strikeouts and 24 walks in 108 1/3 innings, was added to the NL All-Star roster on Saturday morning. He will join teammates Max Muncy, Chris Taylor and Justin Turner in Denver’s Coors Field for Tuesday night’s game.
The last time the hard-throwing right-hander faced the Diamondbacks, in Chase Field on June 19, he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Arizona outfielder David Peralta singled to lead off the eighth, and Buehler received a standing ovation when he exited an eventual 9-3 Dodgers victory.
DODGERS LINEUP: RF Mookie Betts, SS Chris Taylor, 3B Justin Turner, 2B Max Muncy, 1B Albert Pujols, CF Cody Bellinger, LF AJ Pollock, C Austin Barnes, RHP Walker Buehler.
DIAMONDBACKS LINEUP: 2B Josh Rojas, CF Pavin Smith, 3B Eduardo Escobar, 1B Christian Walker, RF Kole Calhoun, LF David Peralta, SS Nick Ahmed, C Bryan Holaday, LHP Caleb Smith.
Betting lines and odds for Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks on Saturday
The Dodgers will send Walker Buehler to the mound on Saturday in an effort to avoid consecutive losses to the last-place Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers are 8-3 in Buehler’s last 11 starts but just 5-4 in his last nine home starts. He’s allowed 10 home runs in that span but just 6.2 hits and 2.7 walks per nine innings.
Caleb Smith will get the start for the Diamondbacks, who has been used both as a starter and a reliever this season, with 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings and opponents hitting .201. In his eight starts, however, he has an 0-5 record with 1.6 home runs and 4.7 walks per nine innings.
The Diamondbacks’ offense has done little to help Smith, scoring two runs or fewer in six of his eight starts, leading to each of his last four starts and nine of his last 12 going under the total.
The Over has been achieved in just five of Buehler’s last 19 regular-season home starts. Overall, the Dodgers overall have played just three of their last 15 games over the total, allowing four runs or fewer in 11 of those games.
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Dodgers’ Walker Buehler, Justin Turner added to All-Star roster, Mookie Betts opts out
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler and third baseman Justin Turner have been added to the National League roster as replacements for Tuesday night’s All-Star game in Denver, but outfielder Mookie Betts has opted out of the game because of injury.
Betts said Tuesday that he was surprised to be chosen by his peers as an NL reserve after what he labeled a “bad” first half in which he has hit .245 with a .799 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 11 homers, 21 doubles and 33 RBIs.
A five-time All-Star and the 2018 American League most valuable player with the Boston Red Sox, Betts has battled shoulder, wrist and back injuries this season.
New York Mets ace Jacob deGrom, Houston Astros stars Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley, San Diego Padres ace Yu Darvish and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey have also bowed out of the game because of injuries.
Dodgers doomed by bullpen woes and errors in loss to Diamondbacks
The schedule provided a nice runway for the Dodgers this weekend, a chance for a road-weary and pitching-thin team to cruise into the All-Star break with three home games against the worst team in baseball, except the Arizona Diamondbacks refused to play their usual role of pushovers Friday night.
Errors by a pair of usually sure-handed corner infielders paved the way for two unearned runs, and the Dodgers walked two batters with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Diamondbacks before 49,215 in Chavez Ravine.
The Dodgers (54-35) won their first seven games against the Diamondbacks (26-64) this season, outscoring them 40-17, and Friday night’s game began on a promising note.
Dodgers’ bullpen struggles during 5-2 loss to Diamondbacks
Top of the ninth:
Edwin Uceta relieved Scott Alexander.
Eduardo Escobar flew out to center field for the first out. Christian Walker walked on a sixth pitch. David Peralta lined a single to right field, where Mookie Betts attempted to make a diving play, but Betts made a miraculous scoop to keep Walker at second. Stephen Vogt pinch-hit for Noé Ramirez. Vogt walked, loading the bases. Pavin Smith struck out on a seventh pitch sinker for the second out.
Daulton Varsho walked on an eighth pitch sinker, bringing in another run for the Diamondbacks.
Jake Reed relieved Uceta.
Josh Reddick walked, bringing in yet another run for the Diamondbacks — pushing their lead to 5-2 at this point.
Nick Ahmed struck out on a fourth pitch slider for the third out.
Bottom of the ninth:
Chris Taylor grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Gavin Lux struck out on a fifth pitch changeup for the second out. AJ Pollock flew out to left field to end the game.
End of the ninth: Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 2
Relievers hold score at 3-2 heading into the ninth
Top of the eighth:
Scott Alexander relieved Joe Kelly.
Daulton Varsho grounded out to shortstop for the first out of the top half. Josh Reddick, who entered the game via double-switch, flew out to center field for the second out. Nick Ahmed walked to continue the top half. Ahmed stole second with Josh Rojas at-bat. Rojas grounded out to second base for the third out.
Bottom of the eighth:
Noé Ramirez relieved J.B. Bukauskas.
Justin Turner hit a foul ball towards the right field wall that Reddick made a sliding play on for the first out. Cody Bellinger popped out to the catcher for the second out. Will Smith struck out on a fifth pitch changeup for the third out.
End of the eighth: Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 2
Error, bloop single extends Diamondbacks’ lead
Top of the seventh:
Joe Kelly relieved Alex Vesia.
Nick Ahmed grounded out to shortstop for the first out of the top half. Josh Rojas followed that with a walk. Eduardo Escobar hit a ground ball that got past Max Muncy and into right field, allowing Rojas to advance to third — officially ruled an error on Muncy. Christian Walker got hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
David Peralta hit a blooper to shortstop but the toss to get the force out at second base was too late, allowing Rojas to score.
Bases loaded, one out and Asdrúbal Cabrera at the plate. Cabrera struck out on three straight knuckle curveballs. Joe Kelly struck out Pavin Smith looking on a knuckle curve to stop the bleeding and end the top half.
Bottom of the seventh:
J.B. Bukauskas relieved Joe Mantiply.
AJ Pollock doubled over the outstretched glove of the right fielder to start the bottom half. Zach McKinstry pinch-hit for Joe Kelly. McKinstry grounded out to second base, advancing Pollock to third.
Mookie Betts grounded out to deep third base to bring home Pollock and cut the Diamondbacks’ lead to one run.
Max Muncy grounded out to third for the third out.
End of the seventh: Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 2
Dodgers strand tying run at third, still trail 2-1 after six innings
Top of the sixth:
Alex Vesia relieved Darien Núñez.
Asdrúbal Cabrera grounded out to shortstop for the first out of the top half. Pavin Smith followed with a double to center field. Daulton Varsho struck out on an eighth pitch slider for the second out. Stuart Fairchild pinch-hit for Brett de Geus. Fairchild grounded out to end the top half.
Bottom of the sixth:
Joe Mantiply relieved de Geus.
Justin Turner fouled out to first base for the first out. Cody Bellinger followed that with a walk. Will Smith singled to right field, Bellinger advanced to second. Chris Taylor lined out to right field, Bellinger to third with two outs. Gavin Lux grounded out, stranding the tying run at third base.
End of the sixth: Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1
Eduardo Escobar’s two-run home run gives Diamondbacks 2-1 lead
Top of the fifth:
Nick Ahmed rolled over on a ground ball to third base that took a tough hop on Justin Turner that allowed Ahmed to reach second base safely. Ahmed then swiftly stole third base with nobody out. Josh Rojas struck out on a sixth pitch fastball for the first out.
Eduardo Escobar homered to right field over the short fence to give the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead over the Dodgers.
Christian Walker struck out on a seventh pitch changeup for the second out. David Peralta grounded out to first base to end the top half.
Bottom of the fifth:
Gavin Lux walked to begin the bottom half. AJ Pollock also walked; Lux advanced to second. Matt Beaty, who pinch-hit for Darien Núñez, popped out to first base, initiating the infield fly rule.
Brett De Geus relieved Taylor Widener.
Mookie Betts hit a fielder’s choice to second base for the second out, Lux advanced to third. Max Muncy lined out to first base to end the inning.
End of the fifth: Diamondbacks 2, Dodgers 1
Darien Núñez shuts down Diamondbacks in MLB debut
Top of the fourth:
Darien Núñez relieved David Price, making his MLB debut.
Pavin Smith flew out to right field for the first out. Daulton Varsho struck out on a fifth pitch changeup. Taylor Widener grounded out to second base for the third out.
Bottom of the fourth:
Cody Bellinger struck out on an elevated fastball for the first out. Will Smith flew out to deep left field for the second out. Chris Taylor flew out left field to end the inning.
End of the fourth: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
AJ Pollock homers, Dodgers up 1-0 after three innings
Top of the third:
Josh Rojas struck out on a sixth pitch sinker for the first out. Eduardo Escobar singled to left field. Christian Walker singled to center field, Escobar advanced to second. David Peralta struck out an eighth pitch changeup for the second out. Asdrúbal Cabrera grounded out to third to end the top half.
Bottom of the third:
AJ Pollock homered to right-center field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead.
David Price struck out on a fourth pitch fastball for the first out. Mookie Betts lined out to right field for the second out. Max Muncy doubled to extend the inning while extending his on-base streak to 18 games. Justin Turner struck out looking to end the inning.
End of the third: Dodgers 1, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers, Diamondbacks scoreless after two innings
Top of the second:
Pavin Smith walked to start the second inning. Daulton Varsho flew out to left field for the first out. Taylor Widener laid down a sacrifice bunt, allowing Smith to move up to second base. Nick Ahmed flew out to right field, stranding another runner.
Bottom of the second:
Will Smith struck out on a fifth pitch slider for the first out. Chris Taylor flew out to center field for the second out. Gavin Lux popped out to shortstop to end the inning.
End of the second: Dodgers 0, Diamondbacks 0
David Price works out of a jam to leave the first inning scoreless
Top of the first:
David Price started another bullpen game for the Dodgers.
Nick Ahmed grounded out to second base for the first out. Josh Rojas singled to left field for the first hit of the game. Eduardo Escobar popped out to second base for the second out. Christian Walker hit a ground rule double, halting Rojas at third. The Diamondbacks had runners on second and third, two outs and David Peralta at bat. Peralta was hit by the first pitch he saw, loading the bases. Asdrúbal Cabrera struck out on a 1-2 cutter for the third out, stranding three runners.
Bottom of the first:
Mookie Betts lined out to center field for the first out of the bottom half. Max Muncy struck out swinging on a fifth pitch changeup for the second out. Justin Turner singled to center field to continue the inning. And Cody Bellinger grounded out to first for the third out.
End of the first: Dodgers 0, Diamondbacks 0
Dodgers slugger Cody Bellinger looks to snap brutal 10-game slump
Cody Bellinger’s injury marred first half appeared to take a turn for the better when the Dodgers center fielder slugged home runs in back-to-back games, one of them a walk-off shot, against the Chicago Cubs on June 26-27, lifting his batting average to .233 and his on-base-plus-slugging percentage to 757.
But the sudden power surge was not the start of a hot streak for the slugger. Bellinger hit .088 (three for 34) with a .268 OPS, one RBI, 13 strikeouts and four walks during his next 10 games, dropping his average to .187 and OPS to .604 entering Friday night’s game against Arizona.
“I see some really good at-bats in there,” manager Dave Roberts said of Bellinger, who hit .305 with a 1.035 OPS, 48 homers and 115 RBIs to win the National League most valuable player award in 2019. “I see some at-bats that are not so good.”
Bellinger didn’t play in spring training exhibition games until mid-March because he was recovering from winter surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder, which he dislocated while high-fiving teammate Enrique Hernandez after a big post-season homer last October.
Then in his fourth game of the season, Bellinger got clipped by Oakland Athletics reliever Reymin Guduan on a play at first base and suffered a hairline fracture in his left fibula, an injury that sidelined Bellinger for seven weeks. He returned on May 29 but went on the IL again in mid-June because of left-hamstring tightness, and it has been a struggle to regain his power stroke.
“I think for Cody, it’s more of the abbreviated spring training, the broken leg, the start and stop to the season, and hitting is hard,” Roberts said. “For him to be on our club and impact us defensively like he has, and to still try to get on track and stay on track offensively, it’s still a work in progress.
“But all I expect is competing and trying to win pitches, and when he does that in the box, I think all of the performance will start to line up.”
Veteran lefty Cole Hamels could be second-half option for Dodgers
The Dodgers will be among the teams scouting free-agent left-hander Cole Hamels at a July 16 workout in Frisco, Tex., opening a potential low-risk, second-half rotation option for the pitching-strapped club.
Hamels, 37, was limited by shoulder inflammation and fatigue to only one game for Atlanta in 2020 after signing a one-year, $18-million deal with the Braves, but he has been throwing for several months and is said to be 100%.
The San Diego native has a 163-122 career record and 3.43 ERA in 15 big-league seasons, 13 of them with the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers. He went 7-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 27 starts for the Chicago Cubs in 2019, striking out 143 and walking 56 in 141 2/3 innings.
Another back injury sends Dodgers reliever Jimmy Nelson to injured list
The Dodgers placed reliever Jimmy Nelson on the 10-day injured list because of a left lumbar strain and recalled left-hander Alex Vesia from triple-A Oklahoma City before Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Nelson, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA in 25 games this season, striking out 41 and walking 13 in 27 innings. He last pitched on Tuesday night in Miami, striking out one in a scoreless inning of a 2-1 loss.
Nelson missed the entire pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020 after undergoing lower-back surgery in early July. He also missed all of 2018 with the Milwaukee Brewers because of shoulder surgery and was limited by elbow problems to 22 innings in 2019.
Vesia, 25, has appeared in 10 games for the Dodgers this season, going 0-1 with a 5.91 ERA, striking out 16 and walking 11 in 10 2/3 innings. He appeared in nine games for Oklahoma City, giving up one run and striking out 19 in nine innings.
MRI test results bring relief to Dodgers and left-hander Clayton Kershaw
A sagging Dodgers rotation got a shot in the arm on Friday when an MRI test confirmed that Clayton Kershaw has inflammation but no structural damage in his left elbow.
Kershaw, who was placed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, will resume playing catch on Saturday and is expected to be folded back into the rotation after the All-Star break.
“I think we all felt there was going to be nothing from it,” Manager Dave Roberts said, “but just to get confirmation is certainly a very good thing.”
The Dodgers were already without two other starters from their opening-day rotation when Kershaw got hurt.
Dustin May was lost to a season-ending elbow injury in early May, and Trevor Bauer was lost to an MLB-imposed administrative leave in the wake of a domestic-violence investigation into the right-hander last week.
Kershaw, 33, last pitched last Saturday against the Washington Nationals, giving up three runs and three hits in four innings before a 1-hour, 44-minute rain delay ended his night. He felt discomfort in his elbow playing catch in Miami before going on the IL.
The three-time National League Cy Young Award winner, in the final year of a three-year, $93-million contract, has spent time on the injured list in every season since 2016, but this is the first time that he’s been sidelined by a forearm or elbow injury.
“It was soreness [more than pain],” Roberts said. “He’s never had soreness in his elbow, so we just wanted to check all the boxes and make sure there was nothing else to it, and fortunately there wasn’t.”
Kershaw had been durable and dependable before the injury, going 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA in 18 starts, striking out 127 and walking 19 in 106 1/3 innings, and averaging just under six innings per game.
He had his best game of the year in the start before the Washington game, when he gave up one earned run and four hits, struck out 13 and walked one in a 7-1 win over the Chicago Cubs on June 27.
David Price to start ninth ‘bullpen’ game of the season for Dodgers
David Price will start the ninth planned bullpen game of the season for the Dodgers on Friday night when the veteran left-hander opposes Arizona right-hander Taylor Widener at 7 p.m. in Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers are 5-3 in such bullpen games.
Price is expected to remain in a rotation that lost Dustin May to a season-ending elbow injury in early May, Trevor Bauer to a Major League Baseball-imposed administrative leave in the wake of a domestic-violence investigation into the right-hander last week and Clayton Kershaw to elbow inflammation this week.
Price, 35, has a 154-80 career record and 3.31 ERA and won the 2012 American League Cy Young Award with the Tampa Bay Rays. He spent the first 11 years of his career as a starter before opting out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns.
When the Dodgers were flush with starting pitchers entering spring training, Price accepted a bullpen role. He has gone 4-0 with a 3.58 ERA in 23 games — three of them starts — striking out 28 and walking eight in 27 2/3 innings.
But he is expected to build up more arm strength over the All-Star break and remain in the rotation to start the second half.
The Dodgers enter Friday night’s game with a 54-34 record and are one game behind first-place San Francisco in the National League West. The Diamondbacks have a major league-worst 25-64 record and are 30½ games behind the Giants.
DODGERS LINEUP: RF Mookie Betts, 1B Max Muncy, 3B Justin Turner, CF Cody Bellinger, C Will Smith, 2B Chris Taylor, SS Gavin Lux, LF AJ Pollock, LHP David Price.
DIAMONDBACKS LINEUP: SS Nick Ahmed, RF Josh Rojas, 2B Eduardo Escobar, 1B Christian Walker, LF David Peralta, 3B Asdrubel Cabrera, CF Pavin Smith, C Daulton Varsho, RHP Taylor Widener.
How to watch the Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks series
Here’s how to watch this week’s three-game series between the Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
How to stream
Spectrum SportsNet LA is available with a subscription to AT&T TV “Choice Plan” ($84.99 / mo.). You can stream the game on your Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast, and your browser.
Fans outside of the Los Angeles market can stream the games using MLB.TV.
How to watch on TV
Spectrum SportsNet LA and SportsNet LA Desportes are carrying the games on cable and satellite providers.
How to listen
In Los Angeles, the games can be heard on 570 AM or 1020 AM (Español).
ICYMI: Julio Urías gives pitching-stressed Dodgers a lift in 6-1 victory over Marlins
MIAMI — Julio Urías dropped his left arm down, almost to a sidearm delivery, to fire a perfectly placed 95-mph strike to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 6-1 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday afternoon.
His momentum pushed him to his left, toward the Dodgers’ dugout, and he didn’t stop. He swaggered off the mound at LoanDepot Park. His 101st and last pitch may have been his best one, and Chisholm could only watch.
The sinker completed a three-pitch strikeout — his ninth punch-out of the day. It marked the first time Urías, protected from injury by the Dodgers in recent years, topped 100 pitches in his major league career. It was exactly what the Dodgers, down to three healthy and available starting pitchers, needed to avoid a four-game sweep and rest an exhausted relief corps.
FAQ: What you need to know about the Trevor Bauer case and where it stands right now
Pasadena police are continuing to investigate Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer for felony assault after a woman accused him of choking her until she lost consciousness and injuring her over the course of two sexual encounters. Bauer is on an administrative leave from the Dodgers as MLB completes its own investigation. That leave — which is paid and does not constitute a disciplinary action — was extended by Major League Baseball through July 15.
Through his agent, Bauer has denied the charges, saying the encounters were consensual.
The Times answers a series of questions about what might happen next.