Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — Yeesh. I know that every winning streak has to end, but did this one have to feel so icky? In fact, it did, with the way starter Tony Gonsolin was pitching on Friday night. The Miami Marlins called on Dr. Longball early and often, pummeling Gonsolin into submission before cruising to a comfortable 11-3 victory.
Gonsolin has always seemed the weak link in the rotation since early in the year. But during this win streak, the team was able to paper over sub-par Gonsolin starts with offensive explosions. This time, no such luck.
Things went bad almost immediately. Jorge Soler pummeled Gonsolin’s second pitch of the ballgame into the right field seats, and the Marlins were off to the races. There was a brief moment of hope in the bottom of the first when Mookie Betts walloped a Sandy Alcantara pitch into the seats in deep left center, but alas, it was short lived. Next time around the batting order, Soler hit another solo homer and the Marlins were off to the races.
Jake Burger hit a three-run shot in the same inning, and a few hitters later Jacob Stallings hit a two-run job. In the next inning, Jazz Chisolm Jr. hit one last two-run homer to knock Gonsolin out of his misery. In all, it was five long balls surrendered by Gonsolin, who just hasn’t been himself in 2023. With the emergence of Bobby Miller and the acquisition of Lance Lynn, it seems like the chances of Gonsolin even making the October roster are getter more and more remote by the day. Stay tuned.
“I just don’t think tonight, he had life to his fastball,” said manager Dave Roberts. “… They got into some good counts, and when he needed to make a pitch, they still put some really good swings on it. So yeah, it just wasn’t sharp all around.”
The Dodgers hit three home runs of their own (Betts, Muncy, and Outman), but they were all solo shots, so didn’t do much to put a dent in the massive Marlins lead. With the game pretty much over by the fourth inning, the Dodgers started to pull their regulars in anticipation of the Saturday doubleheader that was necessitated by the oncoming Hurricane Hilary.
So rest easy, Brooklyn Robins of 1927. Your franchise record of fifteen straight wins is safe. And as for the 2023 iteration of the team, it will be back to the grind on Saturday afternoon. In Sunday’s rescheduled game, the Dodgers will look to get a brand new winning streak underway.
Thank you. Next.
