Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE — One hit. That was all the Dodgers needed and the biggest comeback of the year would have been complete. Five different Dodgers came to the plate in the late innings on Thursday night with an opportunity to put the Dodgers on top with one measly humpback liner to the outfield. And nobody could get the job done. Instead, the Dodgers squandered a thrilling comeback from a 7-1 deficit only to fall 9-7 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game of the Dodgers’ homestand. How it all transpired was quite a thing to witness.
Anderson rocked early
Let’s face it. Tyler Anderson simply did not have it tonight. The Dodgers’ starter got knocked all over the yard on Thursday, with it seeming like the Phillies were taking batting practice in the early going. Starting with Bryce Harper‘s first inning home run, the Phillies were jumping on Anderson early in counts, hitting the ball with authority when they did. By the time Anderson exited the game after six innings, the Fightin’ Phils had roughed him up for seven runs on ten hits.
In addition to Harper’s blast, Johan Camargo hit a two-run shot. And in a bit of embarrassment that would come back to haunt the Dodgers in the later innings, Jean Segura was able to tag up and score on an infield pop-up to Gavin Lux. Lux was napping a bit on the play, and after he caught the ball he wasn’t really in a position to throw to home. He awkwardly tossed the ball wide of the plate, and Segura slid home safely. At the time, it seemed like just one more run in a blowout game, but it would prove to make all the difference by the end of the night.
Slowly but surely, the Dodgers claw back into the game
The only sign of life in the Dodger offense in the early going was a solo home run from Cody Bellinger in the bottom of the third. Other than that, 2022 Cy Young runner-up Zack Wheeler kept the Dodgers off the scoreboard in the early going. The game moved to the bottom of the sixth with the Phillies holding a comfortable 7-1 lead.
But in that inning, the Dodgers began their comeback. Trea Turner singled to start things off with one out. Max Muncy drew a walk to put two men on. Then, Will Smith, the hitting star of the night, ripped a solid double down the left field line. By the time Kyle Schwarber had retrieved the ball, both Turner and Muncy had scored. It was now 7-3, and the Dodgers were starting to feel it.
A huge eighth inning ties it, but could have been so much more
The Dodgers made their big move against the Phillies’ bullpen, namely fireballing lefty Jose Alvarado. Freddie Freeman started it off by pulling a single to right field. Trea Turner followed it up with a four-pitch walk. Then, Max Muncy, celebrating his bobblehead night, had a little check swing nubber that barely went down the third base line. However, the ball stayed fair, and Muncy had himself an infield single. Suddenly the bases were loaded with nobody out.
Will Smith started the scoring in the inning with a run scoring single that moved the runners station to station. With the bases still loaded, Justin Turner was sent in to pinch hit for Edwin Rios (which made sense against a lefty). JT did not disappoint. He ripped a double down the left field line that scored two runs. It was no 7-6, and there was still nobody out.
Cody Bellinger struck out for the first out of the inning, but Chris Taylor came to the plate with a chance to tie the game. Taylor ripped an RBI single through the left side of the infield, and Will Smith crossed the plate to make the score 7-7.
But the Dodgers were hungry for more. Dave Robert sent up Hanser Alberto in place of Gavin Lux to face new pitcher Andrew Bellatti. And here’s the inexplicable play of the night for me. Instead of letting a good contact man like Alberto swing away, manager Dave Roberts put on a safety squeeze play. After fouling off the first pitch, Alberto laid down a bunt on the first base side, but Rhys Hoskins fielded it cleanly and pinch runner Austin Barnes was out at the plate on a play that wasn’t particularly close. After Freddie Freeman popped up, the inning was over, and the Dodgers had to settle for going into the ninth inning in a tie ballgame.
Ninth inning hard luck for Hudson
Daniel Hudson (and not Craig Kimbrel) was called on to get the three outs in the top of the ninth. He got the first out, but things went south after that. Odubel Herrera bunted his way into a hit, and then came the key play of the inning. Rhys Hoskins hit a ground ball through the box that Hudson nicked with his glove as it went through. He doesn’t touch the ball and it’s an inning-ending double play. Instead, it was an infield single, as Trea Turner was unable to record an out at either base. Hudson didn’t help matters by walking Alec Bohm to load up the bases for Bryce Harper.
Then came the dagger to the heart. In the span of a couple pitches in the Harper at-bat, this game was lost. First, Hudson threw a wild pitch that scored Herrera from third and moved the other runners up as well. Then, on a 2-2 pitch, Harper hit a fly ball to right that was plenty deep to score Hoskins to make it 9-7. The Dodgers had dug themselves yet another hole to climb out of.
Bottom of the ninth starts great, but fizzles
Former Dodger Corey Knebel was tasked with closing out this one for the Phillies. But the Dodgers had no intention of going quietly. Trea Turner hit an opposite field single (his third hit of the night) to lead off the inning. The Max Muncy and Will Smith drew back-to-back walks to load up the bases. So here were are again. Bases loaded, nobody out. According to the baseball nerds, the run expectancy in such a situation was 2.29 runs. Which would have been just fine to keep this game going, or even to win the whole thing right here.
But that did not happen. Instead, Knebel got some chases out of the zone on high fastballs that resulted in the that nastiest of baseball plays, the pop-up. First Austin Barnes flied out to shallow right. Then, Cody Bellinger did the same thing to left. Finally, Chris Taylor popped one up to the center of the diamond, one that was easily caught by centerfielder Odubel Herrera.
And that was it. Game over. Boo!
Kershaw tries to get Dodgers back on track
It was a thrilling, but ultimately disappointing night for the Boys in Blue, who have now lost three of the last four. They try to right the ship on Friday night, and to do so, Dave Roberts will give the ball to a fully rested Clayton Kershaw. He will match up against righty Kyle Gibson, who is off to a good start in 2022. Game time will be 7:10 pm.
Cans of Corn
- Though they ultimately lost, the Dodgers showed some fight in this one.
- Still scratching my head on that bunt in the eighth.
- Gavin Lux got caught napping. Not a good look for a professional baseball player.
- Trea Turner and Will Smith both had three-hit nights. Chris Taylor had two hits.
- Yency Amonte made his Dodger debut, in what looked like a laugher game at the time. But his two shut-out innings set the stage for the Dodgers’ comeback.
- When asked about the decision to pitch Hudson, Dave Roberts said he wanted to save Kimbrel for the middle of the lineup. In a tenth inning that never happened.
