One out from an L.A. sweep, Knebels, Phils let one get away
LOS ANGELES » Gavin Lux atoned for an early fielding mistake with a walk-off, two-run double in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a fourgame series sweep with a 5-4 victory over the Phillies on Sunday.
Cody Bellinger got a two-out triple off Corey Knebel (0-3) and Chris Taylor walked before Lux drove them both home with a double to the right field corner, setting off a frenzied celebration at Chavez Ravine.
Lux made a twoout error on a routine grounder in the second inning, allowing the Phillies to score four unearned runs. Aaron Nola left with a 4-2 lead after throwing seven innings of four-hit ball, but Philadelphia’s latest bullpen misadventure doomed its four-game winning streak.
Mookie Betts had a homer and an RBI double for the Dodgers, who avoided their first fivegame skid since April 2019. Shane Greene (10) pitched two scoreless relief innings in his season debut for Los Angeles.
Rhys Hoskins had a two-run single during only the Phillies’ second loss on a seven-game West Coast road trip.
Garrett Stubbs had two hits and drove in a run, but the Phillies couldn’t get back above .500 for the first time since April 12.
After battering the
Dodgers for 29 runs and 37 hits in the first three games, the Phillies played the finale without injured Bryce Harper, who received an injection for the elbow problem that has been limiting him to a designated hitter role. They fell just short of the franchise’s first fourgame sweep at Chavez Ravine since 1985.
Nola struck out eight and walked two while pitching out of a handful of jams. He was the second straight Phillies starter to last seven innings against the powerhouse Dodgers, who had only let two other opposing starters survive that long all season.
Michael Grove yielded four hits and three walks while pitching into the fourth inning in his major league debut. Grove got promoted from Double-A Tulsa to help Los Angeles’ depleted rotation, which is missing several potential starters due to various
medical problems.
Lux drew a leadoff walk in the eighth and scored on Betts’ double to left off Jeurys Familia, but the reliever escaped with two groundouts.
Betts hit his seventh homer in his past 20 games in the fourth, but the Dodgers’ lineup struggled against Nola. He even escaped the seventh inning when a video review overturned the on-field ruling and called Taylor out while stealing second.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: C J.T. Realmuto got a day off to rest.
Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw played catch for the first time since going on the injured list Friday with inflammation in a pelvic joint. He is expected to have a bullpen session Wednesday. … Andrew Heaney will travel with the team next week and likely will throw in the bullpen. He has been out for a month with left shoulder pain.
UP NEXT
Phillies: After a day off, the Phils open a three-game home series with San Diego on Tuesday.