MISERABLE MOMENTS Not everything turned out exactly magical for the Dodgers. Here’s proof.
At look at some of the lowlights from the Dodgers’ 2017 season, including several not-somagical moments during a 1-16 late-August-into-September slide.
APRIL 10
Situation: Dodgers fail their first real test of season. Final score: Chicago 3, Dodgers 2 Goats: Sergio Romo, Kenley Jansen What happened: After starting the season 4-3, the Dodgers head to Chicago to face the Cubs. With the scored 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Romo, then the setup man, gives up a leadoff single to Jon Jay, who advances to second on a weak grounder to shortstop. Jansen replaces Romo and strikes out Kris Bryant before giving up a gamewinning single to Anthony Rizzo.
APRIL 22
Situation: Dodgers drop to 8-10 after getting routed by Arizona again. Final score: Arizona 11, Dodgers 5 Goats: Kenta Maeda, Chris Hatcher, Ross Stripling What happened: After losing to Arizona 13-5, the Dodgers come back the next day and get routed again, as three pitchers give up 11 runs and 14 hits, including four homers. Maeda gives up six runs in five innings and his earnedrun average balloons to 8.05, and the Dodgers fall four games behind the Diamondbacks in the National League West.
APRIL 26
Situation: Dodgers hit their low point in the beginning of the season. Final score: San Francisco 4, Dodgers 3 Goats: Romo, Jansen What happened: Leading 3-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers turn to Romo, who gives up a single to Buster Posey and a homer to Christian Arroyo, allowing the Giants to pull within 3-2. Luis Avilan escapes further damage before giving up a solo shot to Mike Morse in the eighth, tying the score. It stays that way until the 10th, when the Giants put runners on second and third with a single, walk and sacrifice. Hunter Pence hits a sacrifice fly to drive in the winning run and drop the Dodgers’ record to 10-12. The day after this game, the Dodgers start a run in which they win 81 of their next 105 games.
AUG. 26
Situation: Dodgers start a bad skid. Final score: Milwaukee 3, Dodgers 0 Goat: The offense What happened: A seeming innocuous loss, but it started one of the worst skids in Dodgers history in which they lost 16 of 17 games, dropping from 91-36 to 92-52.
AUG. 31
Situation: Dodgers lose fifth game in a row, swept by Arizona. Final score: Arizona 8, Dodgers 1 Goats: Maeda What happened: Dodgers fans begin to get seriously concerned. After not losing more than three games in a row all season, the Dodgers lose for the fifth consecutive time as the Diamondbacks complete a three-game series sweep. Maeda gives up seven runs in three innings and the Dodgers are never in the game.
SEPT. 2
Situation: Dodgers swept in doubleheader by San Diego. Final score: San Diego 6, Dodgers 5; San Diego 7, Dodgers 2 Goats: Pedro Baez, Yu Darvish What happened: After a 1-0 win over San Diego seemed to turn things around, it all falls apart again. Baez gives up a walk-off homer to Yangervis Solarte in the first game. In the second game, Darvish fails to get out of the fourth inning and the offense sputters.
SEPT. 4
Situation: Routed by Arizona again. Final score: Arizona 13, Dodgers 0 Goats: Baez, the offense What happened: The Dodgers lose the first of a somewhat more significant series than planned when Baez fails to get an out in the seventh inning, turning a 2-0 deficit into a 6-0 deficit and getting booed off the mound. Josh Fields and Wilmer Font are also hit hard up in an embarrassing home loss in which the offense gets three hits.
SEPT. 6
Situation: Swept by Arizona again. Final score: Arizona 3, Dodgers 1 Goats: The offense What happened: The Diamondbacks sweep the Dodgers for the second time in a week, outscoring L.A. 19-2 in the three-game set and moving to within 101⁄2 games in the NL West. The Dodgers go 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.
SEPT. 7
Situation: Clayton Kershaw gets hit hard. Final score: Colorado 9, Dodgers 1 Goats: Kershaw, the offense What happened: Even Kershaw can’t reverse the skid as he gives up four runs in 32⁄3 innings and Jon Gray shuts down the sputtering Dodgers offense for L.A.’s seventh consecutive loss.
SEPT. 10
Situation: Rockies complete four-game sweep. Final score: Colorado 8, Dodgers 1 Goats: Walker Buehler, the offense What happened: A 2-0 game becomes a 6-0 game when Buehler, the Dodgers’ prize former first-round draft pick, gives up a grand slam in the eighth inning. The Dodgers offense doesn’t help matters, going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
SEPT. 11
Situation: Losing streak reaches 11 games. Final score: San Francisco 8, Dodgers 6 Goats: Too numerous to mention What happened: The Dodgers set a record for longest losing streak in L.A. history by losing for the 11th consecutive time.
SEPT. 20
Situation: Dodgers lose three games in a row at Philadelphia. Final score: Philadelphia 7, Dodgers 5 Goats: Luis Avilan, Ross Stripling What happened: The bullpen, which has been L.A.’s Achilles tendon during this poor stretch, gives up five runs over the last two innings and the Dodgers lose three in a row to the Phillies, who came into the series with a record of 58-91.