Steve Webb
ST. LOUIS, MO — Holy smokes! I gotta be honest. I had a whole different post planned for this one. I was going to write about how the Dodgers fell flat and that they better get their act together or they’ll squander everything that they gained over the great 10-1 homestand. But instead of my grumblings, we get to celebrate yet another Dodger come-from-behind win. This time they came from waaay down, erasing a 6-0 lead in their last three at-bats, beating the Cardinal 7-6 in an epic win.
Gonsolin shelled in ASG tune-up
If Wednesday was the final callback in the audition to start the All-Star game, I think it’s safe to say that Tony Gonsolin won’t be getting the part. On a night that he needed to really make the case that he merited, no, he deserved to take the mound in the first inning of the Midsummer Classic, Gonsolin’s stuff fell flat.
Gonsolin gave up four runs in one inning and five altogether. The big blows against the Catman were from the Cards’ big dogs. Paul Goldschmidt had a two-run single and Nolan Arenado went yard for a two-run shot.
Gonsolin’s line for the night: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 5 K. His ERA “balloons” to 2.02. And as for Tony’s chances to start the ASG? In the words of the immortal Randy Jackson, “It’s a no from me, dog.”
Wainwright shuts down Dodger bats
Adam Wainwright is something of an ageless wonder. Still one of the league’s best pitchers into his 40’s, Waino continues to flummox hitters with his soft stuff and nasty curve ball. Wednesday was no different. The ace in the Cards’ deck kept the Dodgers at bay all evening, shutting them out for 5.1 innings. However, the Dodgers were taking quality at-bats against him, getting deep counts, and sending him to the showers a bit earlier than he was used to. He left with one out in the sixth, and getting to the pen proved to be all the difference in this one.
Smith jumpstarts comeback in 7th
It looked very much like the Cards were in cruise control on the way to an easy victory until the top of the 7th inning. After a couple of strikeouts from Betts and Turner, Freddie Freeman got things started with a single to right. Then, his fellow All-Star snub Will Smith dug in against Cards’ reliever Drew VerHagen. On the very first pitch he saw, Smith drilled a no-doubt homer to center field, and the Dodgers were finally out of neutral in the game.
Betts and Turner get key hits in 8th
After Caleb Ferguson threw a 1-2-3 bottom of the 7th, the Dodgers were back at the dish in the 8th, hungry for more. And once again, the magic happened with two outs. With runners on first and second, Mookie Betts drilled a sharp line drive down the right field line for a run-scoring double to make it 6-3. Then, Trea Turner delivered yet another clutch hit. This time, he split the defense on the pull side, and hit a two-run single. In the course of about a half an hour, the Dodgers had gone from down to 6-0 to trailing 6-5. Suddenly the game was looking very winnable again.
Dodgers take the lead in the 9th
After the disappointment of Tuesday night, the Dodger fans weren’t getting toooo far ahead of themselves going into the 9th. But, after Craig Kimbrel pitched a clean 8th inning (yes, you read that correctly), the Dodgers came up in the 9th looking for the run that had eluded them the night before.
Justin Turner led things off with a nice double off Giovanny Gallegos, who had barely gotten a save on Tuesday. Turner was immediately replaced with Austin Barnes as a pinch runner. Then, after a great at-bat, Cody Bellinger knocked a single to right that looked like it might score Barnes. However, Barnes slipped rounding third, forcing him to scramble back to to third, and keep the tying run on the bags.
Max Muncy fell into an 0-2 hole before he worked himself back into a full count. Then, on the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Munce lofted a solid drive into center that easily scored Barnes from third on the sac fly.
With the score tied and Cody Bellinger on third, the Dodgers had two shots to take the lead. Trayce Thompson was retired on a third strike foul-tip strikeout, leaving it up to Hanser Alberto, who had entered the game as a pinch hitter in the eighth. Gallegos started off Alberto with a slider down in the zone, and Hanser absolutely pounced on it. He drilled a single into left, and Belli came home with go-ahead run. The Dodgers had done it. They had come alllllll the way back.
Evan Phillips, flip-flopping traditional roles with Kimbrel, came in to pitch the 9th with a save opportunity. And he did not disappoint. On just 7 pitches, Phillips shut down the Cards 1-2-3 to get his first Dodger save. It was an awesome ending to a glorious night. It was the biggest comeback win in nearly six years. Just delicious.
Earlier Start for series finale
Thursday’s series finale will get underway thirty minutes earlier than the first two. At 4:15 PDT, the Dodgers will wrap up their stay in St. Louis with a match-up between Tyler Anderson and Dakota Hudson. Anderson will see if he can notch that 10th win of the year prior to the All Star Break. Then, it’s two on Friday and Saturday in Anaheim to wrap up the first half of the year.
Cans of Corn…
- It’s starting to feel like no lead is safe against this team.
- All these comeback wins are really showing me the Dodgers’ grit. I like it.
- Freddie Freeman had another great night at the dish. 3-for-3 with a walk and HBP. Five straight times reaching base. That’ll work.
- The Dodgers’ have picked up Jake Reed, most recently of the New York Mets. Careful Dodger watchers will recall Reed was with the team for a very short time last season, pitching 5.1 innings over six appearances in June. He’d been bopping up and down between the bigs and triple-A this year. Not much success in New York: 11.37 ERA with the Mets.
- Going by the rotation, Clayton Kershaw should start on Friday against the Angels. We’ll see if that happens. If it does, starting the All-Star game on Tuesday is probably not going to work out.
