Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Hey Now! On a day that celebrates the difference one man can make, David Peralta was that one man for the Dodgers. The Freight Train delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the 9th to lift the Dodgers to a come-from-behind walk-off win on Jackie Robinson Day.
It was the the Dodgers’ 8th straight Jackie Robinson Day win, but for much of the game, it looked like it was going to be another flat tire for the Dodgers’ offense. For eight innings, Jameson Taillon and the Cubs’ bullpen kept the LA bats off the scoreboard. And, thanks to a Patrick Wisdom home run, the Cubs had themselves a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, setting up the late-night heroics.
However, credit where credit is due, Michael Grove was absolutely fantastic on Saturday night. After two less-than-stellar starts, my expectations for Grove in this one were pretty low. But he proved me and every other hater wrong, bouncing back big time. Other than the Wisdom dinger, Grove was darn near perfect, going 5.2 innings and giving up just the one run on two hits.
The bullpen was a little shaky, but they gutted the next three innings out, and put zeros up on the scoreboard. The big moment came in the 8th when Caleb Ferguson was able to get the team out of a bases-loaded game with two straight strikeouts.
Then after Shelby Miller pitched a scoreless top of the 9th inning, the stage was set for an epic comeback. Michael Fulmer came in for Chicago to try to preserve the narrow 1-0 advantage and save the game. When the inning started with a J.D. Martinez flyout, it looked like it might be a second straight home loss for the Dodgers. And you could feel the home crowd starting to get restless.
However, James Outman came through for the home team. Batting in the five-hole for the first time this year, Outman doinked a single into right field, and the Dodgers had the tying run on base.
Then when Miguel Vargas ripped a double down the third base line, things got very interesting indeed. Jason Heyward came up, and after being robbed of a homer by Cody Bellinger earlier in the game, it would have been poetic justice for J. Hey to deliver the winning hit on Jackie Robinson Day, but it was not meant to be. Fulmer got a very generous strike call on an inside pitch, and Heyward was forced to expand the zone. He whiffed at a sinker in the dirt, and the Dodgers were down to their last out.
With a righty like Fulmer on the mound, manager Dave Roberts went to a left-handed bat on his bench. With Heyward and Outman already in the lineup, David Peralta was the only lefty on the bench. He stepped in for Miguel Rojas as Fulmer toed the rubber, looking for one more out to finish the game.
That out would never come. On the very first pitch of the at-bat, Peralta banged a single through the right side of the infield. Outman scored easily, and Vargas came chugging around third as right fielder Seiya Suzuki came up throwing. Vargas slid head first as his outstretched fingertips just scooted over the plate before catcher Tucker Barnhardt could apply the tag.
By the skin of their teeth, the Dodgers were winners. On Jackie Robinson Day. And all is right with the world.
For a night, anyway.
Short Hops
- Dave Roberts had his traditional team meeting in front of the Jackie Robinson statue before the game. This time, David Ross and the Cubs were there, too. Jayson Heyward addressed the players and told how much Jackie Robinson had meant to him as a young man growing up in Georgia.
- When Cody Bellinger robbed Jason Heyward of a homer in the third, Belli was greeted with a chorus of good-natured boos, if there can be such a thing. Bellinger took it all in stride, shrugging and laughing along with the moment.
- Before the late inning fireworks, the Cubs retired 22 Dodgers in a row. It was a great win, but there are still issues with the consistency of this offense.
- Mookie and Freddie both have looked pretty bad in this series.
- Vesia and Almonte still searching for it on the mound.
- Series wraps up on Sunday afternoon with a matinee against these same Cubbies. Julio Urias goes for win number 4 on the season. He’ll be matched against Cubs lefty Drew Smyly. 1:10 first pitch.
