Dodgers 7 Diamondbacks 4: Weeks Worth of Runs

The Dodgers offense woke up (after not getting a hit in the first four innings) as the Dodgers took game two in Arizona.

The Dodgers offense looked like a problem early on, as their only baserunner through four innings came on a Corey Seager walk. When Kenta Maeda allowed two whole runs, the deficit seemed insurmountable.

The Diamondbacks jumped on Maeda in the first after leadoff hitter Jean Segura turned a 10-pitch plate appearance into a double. Jake Lamb singled him in, but Trayce Thompson gunned Lamb out at second trying to stretch. Thompson capped off a fine defensive first inning with a diving catch to rob David Peralta.

Maeda was solid, but allowed another run after striking out the first two batters in the third. Segura singled and moved to second on a walk, and came around to score when for the first time this season, Paul Goldschmidt got a hit that didn’t leave the yard against the Dodgers. Should probably trade him IMO.

Archie Bradley had a no-hitter going through 4.1 innings, but it was promptly broken up by a Joc Pederson homer, his 10th of the year, making him the third Dodger in double digits this season.

The Dodgers offense had struggled so hard with runners in scoring position this roadtrip, but that was broken after Pederson’s homer. Bradley walked Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick, both of whom were moved over on a Maeda bunt. Chase Utley broke the Dodgers dry spell with a two-run single to give them the lead.

The lead was short-lived, as the Backs tied it up in the third. Michael Bourne singled and Maeda fielded a swinging bunt from Segura, but threw wide of first and Bourne raced home. Thompson did pick up his second outfield assist as he got Segura at second, but the lead was gone.

Fortunately, the tie was also short-lived, as Justin Turner continued to hit the snot out of the ball. He hit the first pitch of the sixth 458 feet, which is slightly farther than the Chase Field walls. He’s hitting the ball hard and starting to see results, so if he can keep hitting the ball on a line, the offense will look much better (still, nerds, bring me the Gurriel’s). Pederson followed it up with another homer. Step one; “scoring runs” went decently today, maybe in the near future they can work on “getting guys on base for home runs”. Baby steps.

It was fun until Goldschmidt took his “Dodger Killer” moniker a bit too seriously. He hit a comebacker that hit Maeda right below the knee. Maeda was down for a while and left the game unable to put weight on his right leg. The Dodgers announced his x-rays came back negative and called it a leg contusion. A quick reminder, before we all get too happy with that, that Andre Ethier‘s x-rays also came back negative and I’m pretty sure they had to amputate his leg (kidding, obviously).

With Maeda out, J.P. Howell came in and gave up a seeing-eye single. Louis Coleman replaced him and promptly threw a wild pitch and gave up a single to score the run to make it 5-4. The Dodgers tacked on in the seventh, as a Howie Kendrick double was cashed in with an Utley homer (two-run home run!!). Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen tossed scoreless innings to wrap up the 7-4 victory.

Overall, this is really the type of performance the Dodgers SHOULD be able to give on a regular basis. The pitching was a bit shaky, but the offense made up for it. The back end of the bullpen was excellent, as was most of the lineup.

Next: Dodgers Day One Draft Picks

The Dodgers look for the series win tomorrow with Clayton Kershaw on the hill. Not a bad recipe, but he’s had a few clunkers at Chase Field in his career. It’s a 12:40 game before returning home for a six game homestand.