Steve Webb
Game 136, 8/31/2024: Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 6
PHOENIX, AZ — Wow! If this is August, I can’t wait until October. In a game that had almost everything, the Dodgers won their second straight over the Arizona Diamondbacks by a score of 8 to 6. After a wild couple of innings to start the game, this one turned into a battle of pitching and missed opportunities until the ninth inning when Tommy Edman singled home a couple of runs to give the Dodgers the margin of victory.
This one started with a bang. Or rather, three bangs. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman went back to back to back with long balls in the top of the first off Arizona starter Merrill Kelly, and it looked like, for a hot minute, that the Dodgers were on their way to an easy victory.
Not so fast, Chester. Aided by some poor defense and an inside-the-park home run from leadoff hitter Corbin Carroll, the Snakes stormed back in the bottom of the first off Gavin Stone, scoring four times to take the lead. However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t have the luxury of pulling his starter so early in the game. He only had a handful of relievers available in his overtaxed bullpen. So, he had to ride Stone for another four innings. After the shaky first, though, Stone gave up only one additional earned run.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers scored a pair of runs in the top of the second, on a sacrifice fly from Shohei Ohtani and an RBI single by The reinvigorated Freddie Freeman, who seems to have benefited greatly from his little mental break earlier in the week. The two runs put the Dodgers up 5-4.
After Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tied it up with a solo shot off Stone, the Dodgers came right back to take the lead in the top of the fifth, when Max Muncy singled home a run. However, Arizona tied it once again in the seventh with a Corbin Carroll sacrifice fly. This set up the thrilling finish.
For a while, it was frustration as the Dodgers left five men on base with no run scored in the seventh and eighth innings. But rookie Ben Casparius, making his major league debut, was brilliant in a scoreless bottom of the eighth, setting up the thrills to come in the ninth inning.
Will Smith and Gavin Lux started the top of the ninth with back-to-back singles. Kiké Hernández, who hadn’t hit a sacrifice bunt in years, did just that to move the runners into scoring position. Then, Miguel Rojas was robbed of a run scoring hit when second baseman Luis Guillorme snagged a screaming liner out of the air for the second out of the inning.
That brought new Dodger Tommy Edman to the plate against the Diamondbacks flame-throwing closer Justin Martinez. Martinez got two quick strikes on Edman, one of which clocked in at 103 miles an hour. However, he made a mistake and decided to throw a breaking ball. Edman got some wood on it and poked it into right field for a two-run single. The Dodgers were up 8-6, and in position for the win.
However, Evan Phillips still needed to close the game out against noted boppers Eugenio Suarez and Josh Bell. Philips closed out a strong August for him in grand style, with a 1-2-3 inning and a Dodgers victory.
The Dodgers now have a six game lead over the Diamondbacks. Quite the turn of events in the last forty-eight hours. This wraparound series rolls on on Sunday, with an afternoon game. There is no starter yet announced for the Dodgers, but chances are good that we’ll be seeing Justin Wrobleski taking the mound. He’ll be facing righty Brandon Pfaadt (8-7, 4.31 ERA, 145 SO). First pitch is 1:10 PDT. That will be followed by the series finale on Monday afternoon with Jack Flaherty getting the ball on Labor Day, which will be the last time these two teams meet head to head in 2024. Let’s go out on a good note, boys!
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