Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Ouch! It didn’t take long for Mookie Betts’ trip to the IL to show up in the worst way. With infielder Eddie Alvarez manning the position, things got interesting quickly, and the Dodgers failure to hold a lead late proved the difference in this one, a 5-3 loss to the Guardians to end the homestand.
Heaney checks all the boxes in return
First, the good news. Andrew Heaney, who was tantalizingly good in his two starts for the Dodgers before heading to the IL, came back to the team with a very strong start. His fastball was popping, and his off-speed pitches were well placed. Other than a solo home run from Oscar Gonzalez in the sixth, the Guardians didn’t really get much wood on the ball all afternoon.
However, Cleveland was able to scratch across a run in the top of the 2nd thanks to some shoddy defense in right from the aforementioned Eddy Alvarez. Yes, the sun was a problem in right field in a day game. Which is why you DON’T put an infielder like Alvarez out there in the first place. Anyway, in that second inning, three straight balls were hit to Alvarez, only one of which was an out. That put runners on the corners and set up a sac fly from Austin Hedges to put the Guardians up 1-0. Same exact inning with Mookie Betts in right, and it’s a 1-2-3 inning. Ugh.
That unearned run is why Heaney walked off the mound in the 6th with the game tied instead of being up 2-1 and in line for the win. His line for the day: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K. He didn’t get a win, but if we get this kind of Heaney the rest of the summer, it is very good news indeed. That could make the rotation Gonsolin, Anderson, Kershaw, Urias, Heaney until Walker Buehler returns. You can win a lot of ball games with that rotation.
Offense lackluster against Bieber
Let’s stipulate that Shane Bieber is still a very good pitcher, even if he’s a couple years removed from his Cy Young form. Nevertheless, the Dodgers didn’t generate a whole lot in the way of offense in this game. Gavin Lux got a nice two-out double to tie the game in the bottom of the second. And, Freddie Freeman hit a solo home run (nice to see) to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 3rd. But after the Gonzalez dinger the game was tied, and there it stayed until the bottom of the 7th.
Dodgers scratch one across for the lead
Still, the Dodgers were in a position to win this ball game in the late innings. They scored once in the seventh, thanks to some shoddy defense from Cleveland. Eddie Alavarez got on base with a one-out single and promptly stole second base. Then, after a Gavin Lux strikeout for the second out, Trea Turner stepped to the plate. Trea hit a ball up the middle that second baseman Andres Gimenez was able to keep in the infield. But he made a fatal mistake of trying to do too much. Instead of eating the the throw, and keeping Alvarez at third, he tried to nab the speedy Turner at first. The throw went wide of the bag and past first baseman Josh Naylor into foul territory, allowing Alvarez to scamper home with the go-ahead run. It was 3-2 Dodgers with two innings to go.
Bullpen can’t hold lead
Six outs. Six lousy outs. That was all that was needed to secure victory on Sunday. And the Dodgers had their “A” relievers lined up to pitch. But none of them could get the job done. Alex Vesia gave up a leadoff single to Steven Kwan in the eighth. When Kwan was bunted to second, Vesia was pulled from the ball game in favor of Daniel Hudson. Hudson struck out Ernie Clement for the second out of the inning, but pinch hitter Richie Palacios managed to pull a double down the line to tie the game.
After the Dodgers couldn’t cash in a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 8th, the game went into the 9th deadlocked at 3-3. Enter Craig Kimbrel. And Craig Kimbrel did what we’ve come to expect from him. He started up the roller coaster.
Kimbrel got off on the right foot in the inning with a strikeout of Owen Miller, but then things got dicey quickly. A walk to Oscar Gonzalez, a double from Josh Naylor, and an intentional pass to Steven Kwan and the bases were quickly loaded with Guardians. And then, Andres Gimenez made up for his earlier error with a run-scoring single to break the tie. And Ernie Clement poured salt on the Dodgers’ wound with a sacrifice fly to make the score 5-3.
The Dodgers went quietly in the bottom of the 9th against closer Emmanuel Clase, and so the game, and the homestand, ended not with a bang, but a whimper.
Back on the road
The Dodgers are now 7-9 in June. Not exactly world beaters. They hit the road for a redemption tour of nine games, and hopefully when they get to the Padres at the end of the month, they will still be in first place. At least the Dodgers have a good place to recover their offensive mojo in the next series: the hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. After a three-game set with the Reds, they have three with the red-hot Braves in Atlanta, and then finish the trip with three more against the Rockies in Colorado. No game today due to travel, but Tuesday’s game is a 3:40 PDT start against the Reds. Tony Gonsolin back on the mound.
Sooner or later this lineup will come to life. We just hope it’s sooner.
Cans of Corn…
- Because the Rockies beat the Padres on Saturday and Sunday, the Dodgers are still in first place after a one-day stay in second after Friday’s loss.
- Dodgers were rocking their nifty Father’s Day powder blue gear on Sunday.
- I feel like Yency Almonte has closer stuff. And yet…
- Kimbrel has to get it together or this team is going nowhere in the postseason.
- In case you’re wondering Kenley isn’t faring a whole lot better in Atlanta. Better ERA than Kimbrel, but converting fewer saves. However, Jansen’s last seven games have been dynamite and Kimbrel’s… have not.
- Still love the Dodgers, but June has not been a fun month.
