FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Phillies - Series 22

FSM Essential Recap: Dodgers vs Phillies – Series 22

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Los Angeles Dodgers (41-27)  |  Philadelphia Phillies (33-33)

 

“Baseball is like driving, it’s the one who gets home safely that counts.”

– Tommy Lasorda

 

Game 3:

 

Zack Wheeler proved too much for the Dodgers to handle, dropping the series finale to the Phillies, 2-0 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. The loss snapped a franchise-record streak of 139 games without the Dodgers being shut out. The last time they didn’t score a run was September 14, 2019.

The Dodgers got two runners on all three odd innings and worked four walks on the night against Wheeler, who entered the game with only six total walks in his last seven starts.

But Wheeler kept up his recent run prevention prowess, holding the Dodgers to 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position while allowing no runs to score in his six innings. Wheeler in his last eight starts has a 1.25 ERA with 77 strikeouts.

Rhys Hoskins opened the scoring, snapping an 0-for-33 skid by launching a full-count slider from Clayton Kershaw into the left-field pavilion in the first inning. A similarly long at-bat in the third inning gave the Phillies a second run when JT Realmuto hit the eighth pitch into the gap in right-center for a double to plate Odubel Herrera.

“The Realmuto double was the tough one there. You got to two outs in that inning, really wanted to be able to get out of that,” Kershaw said. “I just left that fastball middle.”

That was all that Kershaw allowed, throwing a season-high 110 pitches while striking out nine in six innings for a third straight start.

But last time out, on Friday against Texas, the Dodgers scored 12 runs, while on Wednesday they were blanked while Kershaw was in the game.

 

Game 3 Boxscore:

 

WP: Zack Wheeler (5-3)

LP: Clayton Kershaw (8-6)

SV: Hector Neris (10)

HR: Rhys Hoskins (13)

 

The Dodgers are off on Thursday and will head to Phoenix for a weekend series against a Diamondbacks. Trevor Bauer starts the series opener on Friday night with the first pitch slated for 6:40 on SportsNet LA.

 

 

 

Game 2:

 

Mookie Betts got to experience a normal-sized crowd at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time and he delivered in a 5-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers extended their winning streak to three games and kept pace with the San Francisco Giants.

They gave fans early reason to cheer on Reopening Day as singles by Gavin Lux and Justin Turner put runners on the corners with one out, which Will Smith followed by beating out a would-be inning-ending double play to drive a run in.

However, the Dodgers’ 1-0 lead was erased in the second inning when Andrew McCutchen ambushed the first pitch he saw from Julio Urias for a home run that traveled halfway up the pavilion in left field.

Urias and Zach Eflin kept the game tied until the fourth inning when Zach McKinstry’s double to the right-center field gap scored Chris Taylor from first base. Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel pressed the issue with an aggressive send, but it was rendered somewhat moot as Urias helped his cause with a ground-rule RBI double.

That gave Urias a sixth consecutive start in which he collected a hit or RBI. It also marked a fifth consecutive game with an RBI, which tied with Don Drysdale (1958) for the longest streak by a Dodgers pitcher.

While Taylor’s legs helped the Dodgers in taking a lead, his usually steady defense cost them in the fifth inning. Taylor fielded a grounder and realized he didn’t have time to reach second base, which led to a hurried and wide throw to first base.

A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners and Matt Beaty then booted a single into left field, allowing two runs to score and the Phillies to again pull even.

 

Betts pushed the Dodgers back ahead with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the seventh, sending the capacity crowd at Dodger Stadium into a frenzy. The homer was Betts’ eighth of the season but first-ever with the Dodgers in front of a full crowd at home.

Phil Bickford nearly coughed up the lead as he started the eighth inning with back-to-back walks before responding with a pair of strikeouts en route to escaping the jam. Betts provided insurance with an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, and Blake Treinen entered in the ninth to convert the save opportunity.

Kenley Jansen was unavailable after pitching back-to-back games, though it was a third consecutive day pitching for Treinen.

 

Game 2 Boxscore:

 

WP: Joe Kelly (2-0 / 5.40 ERA)

LP: Ranger Suarez (2-1 / 0.79 ERA)

SV: Blake Treinen (3)

HR: McCutchen (11), Betts (8)

 

The Dodgers conclude their six-game homestand with Clayton Kershaw taking the hill agaisnt the Phillies Zack Wheeler. The first pitch is slated for 7:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA.

 

Game 1:

 

The Dodgers recorded only three hits on the night. Luckily for them, that was more than enough. Will Smith and Chris Taylor each hit a home run, as L.A. took down the Phillies, 3-1.

Through the first 3 ²⁄₃ innings, the Dodgers had failed to record a hit-off Spencer Howard. Mookie Betts walked to begin the inning, but the offense hadn’t been able to do anything up to that point. With two outs, Smith stepped up to the plate. On a 2-1 count, Smith connected on a fastball and sent it into the left-field bleachers, putting the Dodgers ahead, 2-1. They wouldn’t look back the rest of the way.

An inning later, Taylor hit a solo homer to put the Dodgers up 3-1. They only left one runner on base all night. Luckily for the offense, the pitching was excellent. However, it didn’t look like that would be the case early on.

Tony Gonsolin made his second start of the season, and it was shaky yet again. Luckily it went a little better than his last outing in Pittsburgh, but he still struggled. The Phillies were attacking early, as a Bryce Harper single brought in the first run of the game in the first. They had runners on the corners with one out and the bases loaded with two outs. Gonsolin struck out Alec Bohm to end the inning, leaving the inning with only a run on the scoreboard.

 

“It’s always nice to get out of some possible damage,” Gonsolin said. “I was able to minimize that and keep it to one run, so that’s definitely a positive. But ultimately, I’ve got to stop walking guys and throw more competitive pitches.”

There was trouble yet again in the fourth. Gonsolin allowed the first two runners to reach, and there were runners on first and second with no outs. He got back-to-back strikeouts, needing only one out to escape the jam. David Price relieved him, ending his night. After an error from Taylor at second base, the bases were loaded for Jean Segura. Price got him to ground out to end the inning, avoiding yet another jam.

“It’s tough,” Girardi said. “I didn’t think we got much help from the umpire in the one inning with Torreyes and Spencer Howard.”

For the game, the Phillies were 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10 runners on base.

The bullpen was solid the rest of the way for the Dodgers. Price, Joe Kelly, Victor Gonzalez, Blake Treinen, Jimmy Nelson, and Kenley Jansen combined to throw 5 ¹⁄₃ scoreless innings with five strikeouts and zero walks.

“DP (David Price) coming in, Joe (Kelly), Blake (Treinen), Victor (González), and Kenley (Jansen) closing it out, and Jimmy (Nelson),” Smith said. “They were all really good. They pounded the zone, put guys away, pitched out of a couple of jams. They were great tonight.”

 

Game 1 Boxscore:

 

WP: David Price (2-0)

LP: Spencer Howard (0-2)

SV: Kenley Jansen (16)

HR: Will Smith (7) Chris Taylor (9)

 

 

Julio Urias starts the middle game of the series tonight against the Phillies Zach Elfin. The first pitch is at 7:10 and can be seen on SportsNet LA or MLB Network for out of market Dodgers fans.

 

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– Joe Arrigo

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