After winning the first two games of a three-game set against the Phillies to start their current road trip, the Dodgers fell in extras in the finale on Sunday in a game that was very much winnable.
Los Angeles starter Tony Gonsolin was once again solid, as all indications seemed he was cruising to his fifth victory of the season. He went six full innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts. Gonsolin’s only downfall is that he wasn’t as economical as the team would have liked, causing skipper Dave Roberts to dip into his much-exhausted bullpen in the seventh.
The Dodgers carried a 2-1 lead at Gonsolin’s exit, thanks to a pair of solo home runs from Mookie Betts and Edwin Rios. Betts was a one-man offensive machine in Saturday’s contest, going 3-for 4 with a double, a homer and three RBI.
After having an average as low as .171 on April 19, Betts is currently hitting .273 and leads the team with 10 long balls and 38 runs scored. Mookie’s 145 OPS+ is second on the club to only Freddie Freeman.
Maintaining the narrow lead, the Dodgers were in a position to seal the win in the ninth. With limited relief options and Craig Kimbrel having pitched the previous two games, Roberts decided to stick with righty Yency Almonte to close. Almonte struck out Alec Bohm and retired Bryce Harper on a ground out, but he allowed the tying run to score after surrendering a double to Nick Castellanos and a single to Jean Segura.
The Dodgers cashed in during the tenth when Betts scored on a Trea Turner single to right field, putting themselves back in the lead and in a position for the sweep. However, Roberts opted to use righty Evan Roberts in the 10th.
J.T. Realmuto started the tenth inning on second base for the Phillies and unsuccessfully tried to score on a Garret Stubbs grounder to short. Phillips struck out Johan Camargo next, but he surrendered a single to Roman Quinn, who advanced to second on the throw to nail Stubbs at third base.
The Phillies went on top when both Stubbs and Quinn scored on a Bohm ground ball to second base that Max Muncy couldn’t handle. The Dodgers challenged that Quinn was out at home, but the call was upheld.
Despite the wasted opportunity, stealing two wins in Philadelphia can be considered a victory. Still, with Blake Treinen on the shelf until after the All-Star break and Tommy Kahnle out with forearm inflammation, the immediate future of the Los Angeles bullpen doesn’t seem bright.
The Dodgers now move onto D.C. for a three-game set against the Nationals. Tyler Anderson gets the ball in the opener on Monday.
Think Blue Planning Committee 