Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Yes, it didn’t end well. Yes, Emmet Sheehan kind of ran out of gas in the fifth and couldn’t get the Dodgers back into the dugout. However, the Dodgers rookie righty made quite an impression by no-hitting the Giants for 4.2 innings. Though Sheehan walked in a run and Joc Pederson hit a mammoth homer off Alex Vesia, the rest of the evening was all Dodgers, as the home team took advantage numerous fielding misadventures to pull away late and cruise to a 7-2 win.
But the first half of the game was all about Emmet Sheehan. The rookie righty seemed to have everything working on Thursday night, making the Giant hitters look pretty bad at the plate. Things unraveled a bit in the fifth after he hit Mike Yazstremski with a pitch. That led to three straight hitters that he just couldn’t put away before losing them to walks, allowing the Giants to score a run without the benefit of even putting the ball in play. However, let’s not miss the forest for the trees. Sheehan is coming on strong as the season winds down, giving up just that one earned run over his last two outings. His line for the night: 4.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 9 K.
“He was fantastic tonight,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I thought from pitch one, the conviction, the fastball had true life to it. All the secondaries, the slider, the changeup down below. … He pitched a heck of a ballgame.”
On the offensive side, it was more J.D. Martinez, as it has been so far in this home stand. In this one, J.D. drove in three of the Dodgers’ seven runs. He hit a solo shot in the fourth and knocked in some insurance in the eighth, but it was his RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth that was perhaps the most notable.
With the score tied 2-2 and Will Smith at third, Martinez lofted a ball to shallow right field. Mike Yazstremski easily caught the ball for the second out. Only problem was, he thought it was the THIRD out. So, he fielded the thing without a care in the world, and even started off the field before he realized that Will Smith had tagged up and was barrelling for home. Yazstremski threw home, late and wide, and the Dodgers had a lead that they would never relinquish. Oops.
The Dodgers were gifted a couple more runs in the seventh when reliever Luke Jackson wild pitched two more runners home, one of which had reached on a fielding error by third baseman J.D. Davis. It was not, to say the least, a great night of defense for Gabe Kapler‘s squad.
The Dodgers continue their Giants series as they roll into the final weekend of the home schedule on Friday night. Sean Manaea, whom the Dodgers have always roughed up a lot, will be on the hill for the Giants. It’s going to be a bullpen game to set up Kershaw’s extra day of rest for his Saturday start. Caleb Ferguson is going to get things started, but look for Ryan Yarbrough to eat most of the innings. Game time is 7:10 pm. See you at the ballpark!
