Dodgers fall to Cardinals after rally is cut short by great catch

LOS ANGELES – Off the bat, it looked pretty good. With the game-winning run on first and two outs in the bottom of the ninth on Tuesday night, Mookie Betts smoked a ball to left. It looked like it might get over Tyler O’Neill‘s head for walk-off winner. But O’Neill raced back on the ball and was just able to flag it down before it hit the warning track, securing the Cardinals 3-2 win. The game was over, and Dodger fans could only shake their heads as they walked toward the exits. For the second time this homestand, it was a walk-off that wasn’t.

Price shaky in opener role

A few hours earlier, David Price got the call to open his second straight bullpen game. And, to be frank, it could have gone better. Price got rocked from the get-go. The first three hitters all reached with hits: Tommy Edman doubled, Dylan Carlson singled, and Paul Goldschmidt doubled again, and before Dodger fans were in their seats, it was 1-0. Though Price was able to squirm out of it without further damage, the Cards got another run in the second on a walk and two more singles from Edman and Carlson.

Manager Dave Roberts had seen enough, and Price’s night was done after 1.2 innings. Joe Kelly cleaned up the inning with a strikeout of Goldschmidt, and the bullpen gate was pretty much a revolving door for the rest of the night. After Kelly, Phil Bickford. After Bickford, Nate Jones. After Jones, Mitch White. All putting up zeros for the home squad.

Dodgers hitters held at bay by good pitching and better defense

It was good that the Dodgers relievers were on point in this game, because the Dodgers’ bats were quiet for much of the night. They just couldn’t seem to solve Cardinal starter John Gant. They had a two men on in bottom of the second, but couldn’t push a run across.

Then, in the sixth, Dodgers hitters got robbed a couple of times by some bad luck and slick defense that ended up leaving runners stranded on second and third. First, after a Mookie Betts single, Max Muncy’s smoking liner was snared with a leap by Tommy Edman at second. Then, a Will Smith ground-rule double cost the Dodgers a run when it bounced into the left field seats, forcing Betts to hold up at third. Finally, Gavin Lux hit a two-out Texas Leaguer that had two RBI written all over it, but centerfielder Dylan Carlson closed hard and made a terrific sliding catch to rob Lux of a hit.

Beaty breaks through

However, once the Dodgers got into the Cards’ bullpen in the seventh inning, they were able to break through. After Albert Pujols was able to work a walk off reliever Giovanny Gallegos, Matt Beaty stepped up to the plate. Beaty, who had botched a play in the outfield in the previous inning was eager to erase that memory quickly. Did he ever. He mashed an 0-1 pitch over the right field fence, and just like that the game was tied.

Treinen gives up late run

Blake Treinen was the Dodgers’ sixth pitcher of the night, and that is where the Dodgers’ luck ran out. After a scoreless eighth inning, Roberts sent Treinen out for a rare second inning of work in the top of the ninth. It was a decision that would come back to haunt the Dodgers. The leadoff hitter in the inning, Tyler O’Neill stroked a single into center. Though he didn’t know it at the moment, bigger heroics were waiting for him in the bottom of the inning.

But he still caused plenty of trouble for the Dodgers on the basepaths. When Treinen didn’t do much to hold him on first, O’Neill took off early in the next at-bat and was able to swipe second. With a runner in scoring, position, it looked like the Cards might play some small ball as the next hitter Edmundo Sosa showed bunt. The infield pulled in in response. With the fielders tight, Sosa was able to squirt a ball past a diving Justin Turner to score the go-ahead run. Kenley Jansen came in to put out the fire, but the damage was done. The game went into the bottom of the ninth with the Dodgers trailing 3-2.

Yoshi and Belli start rally in the ninth

At first, the Dodgers looked like they might go gently into that good night in the ninth, as Cardinals’ closer Alex Reyes got two quick outs from Chris Taylor and Zach McKinstry. Reyes had been perfect in converting his save opportunities going into the game, so the Dodgers’ chances for a comeback were looking pretty grim at this point in the contest. However, the Cardinal righthander suddenly lost the plate a bit. Pinch hitter Yoshi Tsutsugo took a quick walk on five pitches.

And just to give the game a little more dramatic flare, Cody Bellinger came up to the plate. Belli, who was not in the starting lineup for the first time after returning from the IL, was still looking for his first hit since early April. In fact, he hasn’t been looking very good at all so far this homestand. However, this time, he was able to turn around a 2-2 pitch and drive it into center field for a solid single. Now, the Dodgers were cooking with gas: two on, two out, and 2018 MVP Mookie Betts coming to the plate.

Betts gives it a ride, but not quite

Though it’s been a rough first two months of the season for Betts, this past week, he’s been making more solid contact and getting on base a lot, so the Dodger faithful still had reason to believe in their boys in blue. Betts got ahead quickly 2-0 before watching a strike go by. Then, with a 2-1 count, Reyes went back to a second straight fast ball to Betts. Betts was just a hair out front; otherwise he’d have put the ball over the fence. Instead, it was a deep drive to left that O’Neill was able to snare with a leaping backhand grab across his body.

No change in standings

It would have been a nice win, on a night that both the Padres and the Giants lost. Instead, all three teams took the L tonight, resulting in a big fat nothing in the standings. After spending the entire month of May out of first place, the Dodgers will have to go at least a few more days looking up at the Giants, as they still trail their rivals by two games going into play on Wednesday. Speaking of Wednesday, Walker Buehler will try to give some length tomorrow night with the start. His opponent: Carlos Martinez, who is coming off a near no-hitter against the Diamondbacks last week. Game time, 6:10 pm.