Dodgers 4 Phillies 5: Sweep Failed

The Dodgers had their chances, but failed to sweep the Phillies.

The Dodgers dropped the rubber match of their series in Philly. The offense started off great, but sputtered to the finish line and the bullpen gave up one run too many.

Dodgers Starter

Ross Stripling got the ball today to give Bud Norris an extra day of rest. Stripling cruised through the first inning, but got no favors from the defense in the second.

After Stripling got an out and gave up a single, he forced a routine double play ball. Chase Utley fielded it and flipped it to second, but he missed his mark by quite a bit. The error allowed the runners to get to second and third, and one was immediately cashed in on an Aaron Altherr single. Stripling recovered nicely and got a fly out and ground out to end the frame and limit the damage.

Ryan Howard led off the fourth with his 19th homer of the season. Stripling got a pair of outs, but allowed a two-out single and double to give the Phillies a third run.

Stripling got in more trouble with two outs in the fifth. He got the first two easily, but allowed a double and walked Howard and Cameron Rupp. He got squeezed a bit, but he managed to strike out Jimmy Paredes to strand the bases loaded.

That ended the night for Stripling. He went five innings and finished with a 94 pitches, his fourth-most in a game this season. Stripling allowed six hits and two walks, but got hurt by the unearned run. He did strike out five and gave the Dodgers a bit of length, so overall it was a solid outing for the rookie.

Dodgers Offense

The Dodgers put up 22 runs in the first two games of the series, but none of those runs came in the first three innings of either of the two games. They didn’t wait around today, as Utley and Corey Seager started the party with well-hit singles. Justin Turner followed it up with his team-leading 23rd homer of the season.

Turner continued his hot hitting, as did Yasmani Grandal. Grandal launched a solo homer in the fourth to put the Dodgers up 4-1.

Joc Pederson has 18, so there’s a good shot the Dodgers get a fourth. Adrian Gonzalez is at 12, so unless he gets hot that might be tough.

The Dodger offense started hot, but really struggled in the later innings. Gonzalez doubled to start the sixth, and that was the final baserunner for the team. Michael Mariot, Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez combined to get the final nine outs and needed a combined 35 pitches to do so.

Dodgers Bullpen

Casey Fien started the sixth and got two quick outs, but issued a two-out walk. Grant Dayton came in to face the lefty Odubel Herrera, and struck him out to end the sixth.

Dayton remained in the game for the seventh, and gave up the lead after two batters. Freddy Galvis led off with a single, and Maikel Franco crushed a ball to dead center to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead. He got a flyout before being lifted for Joe Blanton, who ended the seven with a foul out and a strikeout.

Josh Fields got the eighth and put two runners on, but got out of it without any further damage.

Other Stuff

The Dodgers failed to keep pressure on the Giants, who open up a series with the Mets shortly. Today’s game should be a good one, with Madison Bumgarner and Jacob deGrom squaring off.

The Dodgers finish the season 4-2 against the Phillies, with both series playing out in similar fashions. The Dodgers win the first two games, then fail to secure the sweep. The final win seems to be the toughest for the Dodgers, as they haven’t swept a team on the road since the very first series of the season.

Next: Dodgers In Middle of Key Week

Another winnable series is upcoming, as the Dodgers travel to Cincinnati for a four-game set starting tomorrow. Bud Norris will make his return from the DL tomorrow, and Tim Adleman will start for the Reds.