Falling flat in Phoenix

PHOENIX — Thing about Clayton Kershaw. When he’s off, it doesn’t take long to see it. On Saturday at Chase Field, it took a grand total of one pitch. Red-hot leadoff hitter Ketel Marte roped a first-pitch fastball from Kersh down the left field line for a solo homer, and the D’backs never looked back in this one.

On one of the most important road series of the year, the Dodgers came up with an absolute clunker, in every aspect of the game. They lost 7-2 to the Arizona freakin’ Diamondbacks, the worst team in the National League. And this is exactly why people get so frustrated with this team. Every time they put themselves into a position to finally get into first place, they just can’t seem to come up with a quality performance. With a Giants’ win in Colorado, the Dodgers fall two games out of first with seven to go. They now have a very, very, hard job ahead of them next week. Let’s review the carnage, shall we?

Dodgers can’t solve Gallen

His 10-losses this year aside, Zack Gallen is a talented pitcher who has always given the Dodger hitters fits at the plate. It was no different in this one. He threw 6.0 innings of three-hit ball against the Dodgers, and exited the game with the D-backs ahead 4-1 to get the win. The lone blemish on his side of the ledger on Saturday was a Trea Turner solo home run in the top of the sixth that cut the Diamonbacks’ lead to three runs. Otherwise, he was magnificent, striking out eight while walking only two. More evidence why the Dodgers DO NOT want to get into a one-game playoff with anybody, much less the red-hot St. Louis Cardinals.

Kersh doesn’t have it

Meanwhile, Clayton Kershaw delivered his worst of three starts off the IL. Not only did he give up that Marte leadoff jack in the first, he gave up ANOTHER leadoff homer in the second, this one to catcher Carson Kelly. Things wouldn’t have been so bad if Kershaw had gotten a hand from his infield.

However, in both the fourth and fifth innings, they let him down and allowed a couple more Arizona runs to score. In the fifth Justin Turner airmailed a throw on what would have been the third out of the inning that allowed a runner to score from second. Then, in the following inning, after a couple of singles put runners on second and third, Henry Ramos hit a hard grounder to third that looked like a sure double play ball, if not a possible round-the-horn triple play. Instead, after Justin Turner recorded the out at third, Trea Turner came off the bag before fielding the throw, so the Dodgers had to content themselves with just one out on the play.

Wouldn’t you know it, the very next hitter, Daulton Varsho, hit a weak liner that just cleared the infield, and another D-backs run came around to score. Kershaw was visibly upset on the mound, not only with himself, but with the shoddy infield play that had allowed the game to unravel on him. Dave Roberts came out for the ball before he even got out of the inning. His final line on a very disappointing night: 4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 K.

D’backs get to Price and Phillips for three more

Now up 4-0, the Dodgers were pretty much reeling from the body blows by the Diamondbacks. Relievers Brusdar Graterol, David Price, Phil Bickford, and Evan Phillips attempted to keep the game within reach, but the D’backs knocked the pen around a bit as well. They scored one earned run off Price and two more off Phillips in the bottom of the eighth to pretty much put the game out of reach. It would end up being the second time the Dodgers have lost by five runs on this road trip, which is not ideal going into a postseason.

Trea finds home run stroke

The good news of the night, and you have to look very hard for good news in this one, is that Trea Turner hit two solo home runs in the game. In the sixth, he took Gallen down the line, and then in the top of the ninth, he hit a second jack that accounted for the Dodgers’ second run of the night. Turner continues to swing a hot bat, but unfortunately, his defense still is costing the Dodgers outs in the field and leading to more opponent runs than necessary. It’s good to see the homers, but it would be better to see clean play in the field to go along with it.

Dodgers are in a fine mess

It’s got to be dark night of the soul time for the Dodgers. If they want to win this division, they essentially have to win out these last seven games. And even if they do, the Giants can secure a tie with a 5-2 record the rest of the way. Which is kind of a standard issue week for the Giants. If the Dodgers get to Wednesday and are still two games out, you can pretty much kiss the division goodbye. But, if they can win on Sunday and get the Rockies to help out a bit, that would bring the lead down to one game, which is very doable with a week to go.

So, what I’m saying is, tomorrow is kinda a big deal. 1:10 first pitch from Phoenix. Julio Urias was the announced starter, but I have also been hearing murmuring of a bullpen game, so we will see who gets trotted out there on Sunday morning. Keep the faith, Dodger fans!