Steve Webb
PHOENIX, AZ — It was a lot closer than it needed to be, but in the end, the Dodgers got the job done. Riding a great start from Julio Urias, the visiting Dodgers jumped out to an early lead against the slumping Arizona Diamondbacks and then survived some shaky relief pitching on the back end of the game to emerge with a 5-4 victory, handing Arizona its seventh straight loss.
Urías was looking to build on back-to-back quality starts against Toronto and Oakland, and he looked about as solid as he has all season. He went six scoreless innings on 95 pitches, and only surrendered four hits and a walk while striking out five. It’s his second straight scoreless outing, after blanking the A’s at Dodger Stadium last week. More and more, that trainwreck outing in Baltimore (eight earned runs allowed) is looking like an anomaly.
“He wanted to pitch deeper in the game, you could see that,” manager Dave Roberts said after the game. “[He was] efficient, attacking the strike zone. I thought the fastball had a life to it that we’re accustomed to seeing. I thought tonight the changeup really played to a lot of right-handed hitters.”
Offensively, it was the usual suspects who came through for the Dodgers against rookie starter Brandon Pfaadt. Kiké Hernandez got the scoring started with a double that he smoked to the gap in left centerfield in the second inning. Mookie Betts went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair, including what turned out to be the game-winning run in the top of the ninth. Freddie Freeman had a ho-hum 3-for-5 night and drove in a run of his own. Plus, he forced a throw when he tagged up from third on a flyball to shallow left field and scored easily when Lourdes Gurriel Jr. missed the target by a good 25 feet.
But solid as the offense was, it was up to the bullpen to preserve Urías’s victory, and to be honest, they’ve looked better. After Ryan Brasier pitched a scoreless seventh, Alex Vesia got in trouble immediately with a four-pitch walk to the leadoff man in the eighth. After Ketel Marté lined out on a ball he hit on the screws and Corbin Carroll singled, Dave Roberts had seen enough. He went to Brusdar Graterol to put out the fire. But Graterol gave up back-to-back singles to score two runs, and suddenly, things started to get real uncomfortable.
Then, in the ninth, the usually reliable Evan Phillips had problems as well. After getting the first out, he walked Geraldo Perdomo and then gave up a run-scoring triple to pinch hitter Alek Thomas. Ketel Marte singled to score another and we had ourselves a one-run ballgame. Yikes!
What happened next was literally a rookie mistake, and it cost the D-backs the ballgame. Corbin Carroll hit what he thought was a foul ball down the first base line. Only it wasn’t. Freddie Freeman fielded it in fair territory. And, instead of busting it down the line, Carroll stood motionless at home while Freeman turned a tidy 3-6-3 double play. That’s right. The fastest man in the sport just stood there and watched while the Dodgers’ ended their night. Ooops.
Regardless of how it ended, it was a good win for the Dodgers, who now sit ten games ahead of the once-front running Diamondbacks in the NL West standings. And with the Giants’ loss on Tuesday, the Dodgers are now five games clear of the pack in the division. It’s not over yet, but the fat lady is warming up, if you catch my drift.
One more game with the D-backs and it’s back to LA for the Rockies, Brewers and Marlins. Bobby Miller will get the ball for the last game in the desert. He’ll face off against the talented righthander Merrill Kelly. Should be another good ballgame.
