Bad fielding leads Dodgers to 3-1 loss to Diamondbacks
PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks didn’t hit a ball out of the infield in Wednesday’s eighth inning.
To score the winning runs in their 3-1 defeat of the Dodgers, they didn’t need to.
Instead, a sloppy sequence doomed the Dodgers for a second straight day. Reliever Daniel Hudson issued a leadoff walk. Third baseman Max Muncy fired high on a bunt in the next at-bat. And in the ensuing scramble, one run scored, another runner ended up at third (leading to a second run later in the inning), and the Diamondbacks had taken a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in a rubber-match win at Chase Field.
“Up until this series, I thought we played good baseball, fundamental baseball, catching it and throwing it accurately,” manager Dave Roberts said. “This series we didn’t do a good job of that.”
Indeed, a day after they hit into five double plays (tying a franchise record in the live ball era) and were punished for poorly timed walks and errant defense in a loss, the Dodgers (12-6) struggled with the same issues in the series finale.
We go to the ninth, Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 1
Ian Kennedy in to pitch the top of the eighth for the Diamondbacks. Will Smith, batting for Barnes, struck out. Mookie Betts singled. He took second on a wild pitch. Freddie Freeman lined to right. Trea Turner singled to left-center, scoring Betts. Max Muncy grounded to short.
In the bottom half, Daniel Hudson came in to pitch for the Dodgers. Daulton Varsho walked on six pitches. Sergio Alcantara bunted toward third. Max Muncy threw the ball away for a three-base error. Varsho scored. Cooper Hummel hit a roller up third that Muncy let roll, hoping it would go foul. It didn’t. First and third, no one out. With the infield in, Jordan Luplow hit a short toward short. Trea Turner made a diving stop and forced Hummel at second. First and third, one out. Pavin Smith, batting for Matt Davidson, hit a slow roller to second. The run scores. It’s 3-1 Diamondbacks. Christian Walker grounded to second. Gavin Lux threw high, but Freeman managed to come down with it and tag first barely in time. The runner was called safe initially, but the call was overturned on appeal.
Score after eight: Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 1
Diamondbacks lead 1-0 after seven
In the top of the sixth, Trea Turner doubled to left with two out. After falling behind 0-2, Max Muncy walked. Cody Bellinger struck out swinging. He is hitless this series.
The Diamondbacks went in order in the bottom of the sixth.
Through six, Julio Urías has given up one hit (a solo homer), two walks and has struck out four. He has thrown 81 pitches, 54 for strikes.
In the seventh, Noe Ramirez replaced Zac Gallen as the Arizona pitcher. Chris Taylor flied to center. Edwin Ríos singled. Gavin Lux struck out and Ríos was thrown out trying to steal. Strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out.
Phil Bickford came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh for L.A. He walked Carson Kelly with two out but escaped the inning unscathed.
Score after seven: Diamondbacks 1, Dodgers 0
Diamondbacks take 1-0 lead on Nick Ahmed’s homer
Cody Bellinger was hit by a pitch with two out in the top of the fourth and was there when Chris Taylor flied to center to end the inning. Arizona starter Zac Gallen seems to take about five minutes between pitches.
In the bottom half, the Diamondbacks got a one-out walk but left him stranded.
In the top of the fifth, Edwin Ríos lined to right. Gavin Lux lined to center. Austin Barnes struck out.
In the bottom half, Carson Kelly grounded to second. Nick Ahmed homered to left. 1-0 Diamondbacks. Daulton Varsho grounded to first. Sergio Alcantara grounded to third.
Score after five: Diamondbacks 1, Dodgers 0
No score after three innings
Max Muncy led off the second with a walk. Cody Bellinger, moved up to the No. 5 spot in the order, flied to right. Chris Taylor struck out and Edwin Ríos struck out.
The Diamondbacks went in order in the bottom half.
The Dodgers wasted a two-out single from Mookie Betts. The Diamondbacks got their leadoff runner on Freddie Freeman’s error, but the Dodgers escaped damage.
Score after three: Dodgers 0, Diamondbacks 0
No score after first inning
The rubber game of the series is underway as Mookie Betts grounds to second. Freddie Freeman grounded to second. Trea Turner struck out swinging.
In the bottom half, Cooper Hummel walked. Jordan Luplow grounded to third, forcing Hummel. Matt Davidson popped to short. Christian Walker flied to left.
Score after one: Dodgers 0, Diamondbacks 0
Today’s starting lineups
‘He’s found his place’: How Dodgers’ Gavin Lux cleared mental hurdles to ignite his career
Gavin Lux kicked his feet up on the railing of the visitors’ dugout at San Diego’s Petco Park this past weekend and leaned back, looking across a quiet pregame scene.
The Dodgers infielder was comfortable in his surroundings the way he has been for most of this season, increasingly encouraged again in his brimming future.
But in this moment, Lux was also more reserved, reflective, trying to reconcile a roller coaster start to his big league career.
“The last few years for me, it was hard mentally,” he said, an exasperated strain in his voice. “I was struggling.”
For now, those days appear behind him.
Since the start of the season, Lux has been one of the Dodgers’ more productive players. Entering Wednesday’s afternoon game at Arizona, he had a .262 batting average and a .777 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He’s been playing solid defense at second base and in left field, a utility role that has kept him in the lineup almost every day. Just about everyone who has watched him the past couple of years has come to the same conclusion.
ICYMI: Less-than-timely hitting and key error lead Dodgers to 5-3 loss to Diamondbacks
PHOENIX — The final score will say the Arizona Diamondbacks won against the Dodgers 5-3 on Tuesday night.
But the Dodgers simply beat themselves.
After jumping out to a three-run, first-inning lead, the Dodgers stumbled at every other juncture, losing their first game this season in which they held a lead.
At the plate, they hit into five double plays, went just two for eight with runners in scoring position and were caught stealing on their only attempt.
In the third inning, an error from second baseman Gavin Lux and sporadic command from Tony Gonsolin led to three Arizona runs.
The deciding blow also resulted from a Dodgers mistake. After issuing a four-pitch leadoff walk in the bottom of the eighth, Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol tried to throw a low slider to David Peralta. The pitch stayed up and over the plate, however, allowing Peralta to crush a 433-foot home run.
How to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s the TV and streaming schedule for all the remaining regular-season games for the Dodgers in 2022: