Steve Webb
MIAMI, FL — This was one of the those games that is to be survived. And survive the Dodgers did. Riding a hot night from the incomparable Mookie Betts, the Dodgers were able to overcome a half dozen boneheaded plays and questionable moves. And in the tenth inning of a back and forth battle, finally the elephant sat on the see-saw. Los Doyers exploded for five runs in extra innings, and put away a pesky Marlins team. The 10-6 win makes the Boys in Blue 19-4 in August.
Quiet First Half of the Game
Maybe it was jetlag. Maybe it was inevitable after an explosion of offense in the last two games. But whatever the reason, the Dodgers were very quiet against the Marlins in the first five innings of the ballgame. The Marlins went with a bullpen game on Friday, and it went pretty well for them. The Dodgers had some traffic; the bases were loaded in the first, and they had runners at the corners in the third. But, the Fish pitchers were able to wriggle off the hook every time.
Meanwhile, Tyer Anderson was cruising along in his start. In the first five innings, he gave up only a single and a walk while exhibiting a good command of his pitches. For a while at least, it looked like it might be one of those 2-1 nail-biters like the first time these teams hooked up in LA.
Taylor’s sac fly scores a run, but Marlins answer in 6th
In a game that turned out to have a boatload runs scored, things started off innocently enough. Will Smith broke through with a double in the 6th, the hit coming off the Marlins’ third pitcher of the night, Bryan Hoenig. With one out, Justin Turner came through with a single to move Smith to third, and the Dodgers’ catcher scored easily on Chris Taylor‘s sacrifice fly to right.
Now leading 1-0, Anderson tried to get through one more inning, but he was undone by some sloppy D from the infield. With a man on first and one out, the Marlins’ Miguel Rojas hit a ground ball to Justin Turner that “might” have been a double play. But it was a high throw to second and Chris Taylor couldn’t hold on to the ball. Now with two on, Anderson was in his first jam of the game. TA then walked Bryan Anderson to load the bases and he was really in the soup. That brought up the pesky Joey Wendle, and he delivered a two-run double down the first base line to put the Marlins on top. That ended Anderson’s night, and he left the mound on the wrong side of a 2-1 score. Anderson’s line for the night: 5.1 IP, 3 H 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K.
Luckily, Evan Phillips came in and hosed down the fire, and limited the damage just those two runs. Phillips continues to get the absolutely biggest outs of anybody in the bullpen. Somebody give this man a raise.
Teams trade two-spots in the 7th
Thus started the back and forth of the last few innings of the game. In the 7th, both teams got big hits to take the lead. In the top of the frame, Trayce Thompson led things off with a single to turn over the lineup. Then, up came Mookie Betts, who had already a leadoff single in the first. But he was just getting started. On a 2-2 pitch from old buddy Dylan Floro, Mookie smashed a long drive to left center. It landed in the Marlins’ bullpen and the Dodgers were back in front 3-2.
However, in the most inexplicable move of the night, Dave Roberts put in Phil Bickford (yes, that Phil Bickford) to try to hold the one-run lead.
He did not. Bickford gave up a single and two walks to load up the bases with just one out. Then, Miguel Rojas delivered a single, and the Marlins moved station to station, scoring the tying run.
After Bickford struck out Bryan Anderson, Dave Roberts made a move. And this one almost worked out. Alex Vesia got ahead of Joey Wendle 0-2 and induced a weak little nubber in front of the plate. However, there was some indecision about whether Vesia or catch Will Smith would field the ball, and by the time Vesia whipped the ball to first, it was too late. The go-ahead run had scored. But, like Phillips before him, Vesia hunkered down and got the final out to limit the damage. The game went into the 8th with the Dodgers trailing 4-3
“Mama, there goes that man!”
After a scoreless 8th on both sides of the scorecard, the Dodgers came up in the top of the 9th needing one run to tie up the ball game. And, when Trayce Thompson led off by grounding out against Marlins closer Tanner Scott, it looked like it might not be the Dodgers’ night. However, the Dodgers had turned over the lineup again, which meant another opportunity for Mr. Markus Lynn Betts. And, sorry Tanner Scott, ain’t nobody gettin’ Mookie out in this one. On a 1-0 pitch, Betts walloped a slider on the lower part of the plate and sent a towering fly down the right field line. It had plenty of distance, the only question was, would it stay fair?
Yes, it would. Mookie trotted around the bases with his second homer of the game. “He bailed us out,” said manager Dave Roberts after the game. “It was just such a great performance. We needed every bit of it. And that’s why he’s one of the best players in the game. It’s fun to watch. What a great performance.”
And, it was Betts’s 20th multi-homer game hitting leadoff, which puts him in first place all time in that obscure stat. Don’t think they’ll be putting that one on the Cooperstown plaque, but whatever…
The Dodgers weren’t done in the inning. With Scott still on the mound (Don Mattingly‘s bullpen was very thin by this time of the night), the Dodgers staged a two-out rally. A single from Freddie Freeman and a pair of walks from Smith and Muncy loaded up the bases for Justin Turner. After a pitching change, JT would come up clutch yet again, drilling a solid single into centerfield to put the Dodgers up 6-5. The rally ended there, but the game went into the 9th with the Dodgers in the lead.
Price can’t hold lead, things get sloppy
The bottom of the 9th is probably an inning is best forgotten. But talk about it we must. After new pitcher David Price came in, the Marlins dug in for their last chance at a victory. And you have to hand it to them, they didn’t go quietly. Price was a little lazy on the location of a 1-2 sinker and left fielder Peyton Burdick made him pay with a game tying home run. Then, things got very dicey when both Trea Turner and Justin Turner misplayed fairly routine ground balls to put the winning run into scoring position with just one out. However, Price buckled down and got a comebacker for the second out and fly ball to Trayce Thompson to end the inning. So, with the score tied at 5-5, it was off to extra innings.
Mookie for the lead! Everybody piles on!
As any Dodger fan knows, bonus baseball is not a place for the Dodgers to shine usually. Going into Friday night, they were only 2-6 in extra innings, which is third worst in all of baseball. So, it was with some trepidation that fans tuned into the tenth inning in this one.
However, no need to fear. Mookie Betts is here. With one out and runners on the corners, Mookie got his fourth hit off his fourth different pitcher of the night. This time, Betts ripped a screamer of a double into the left field corner to score placed runner Chris Taylor from third and push Cody Bellinger to third.
With Mookie leading the way, the floodgates opened up for the rest of the lineup. Trea Turner hit a run-scoring single into center. Freddie Freeman banged a double into the gap to score another. And finally, Max Muncy drove in two more runs with a double down the first base line. In all the Dodgers sent eight hitters to the plate in the inning, and smacked five hits in the inning. The overwhelmed Marlins didn’t stand a chance. Brusdar Graterol came in to pitch the bottom of the inning. He gave up a two-out hit to score the ghost runner, but that was it. Final score in this sloppy, but exciting game: Dodgers 10, Marlins 6.
May vs. Alcántara on Saturday
The Dodgers have three more games with the Fightin’ Fish, but none more eagerly anticipated than Saturday’s contest. On the mound will be two of baseball’s most dynamic righthanded pitchers: Dustin May, just off the IL, and Sandy Alcántara, still the heavy favorite to win the Cy Young this year. However, the two pitchers are coming off diametrically opposed outings. May was fantastic last week in LA, and Alcántara threw and absolute dud on Sunday against the Dodgers. We’ll see what each of them brings to the table the second time each sees this same opponent. Game time on Saturday: 3:10 pm PDT.
Cans of Corn…
- Mookie doing Mookie things is a pure joy to watch.
- Boy, the Dodgers’ infield was really bad in this one. Lucky to have the W.
- Clayton Kershaw will throw a sim game on Saturday. According to Dave Roberts, he will either pitch in NYC, or return back at Dodger Stadium on Friday against the Padres. I’d vote for the latter one.
- Cody had a great catch in center in the 8th to bail out Craig Kimbrel and put a zero on the scoreboard.
- Can’t be understated how much value Phillips and Vesia brought to this one by limiting damage in what could have been big Marlin innings.
- In addition to Mookie’s big night, Trea, Freddie, JT, and Trayce all had multi-hit games.
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