Arizona bullpen falters in 8th

PHOENIX — Maybe Dave Roberts is an oracle.

On Wednesday afternoon, after seven losses in eight games, Roberts announced that his Los Angeles Dodgers had reached a crossroads.

“Tonight,” he said, the night it turns.”

Later that evening, he lost pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu to a significant groin strain. A day later, his offense slumbered through seven innings at Chase Field.

And yet the Dodgers emerged victorious in both games, the latter a 5-2 win over Arizona. An eighth-inning meltdown by Diamondbacks relievers Fernando Salas and Jorge De La Rosa led to a four-run flurry. The Dodgers (14-17) acted as bystanders for much of the rally. De La Rosa followed a balk with two wild “is pitches.

At this point, the Dodgers care little about aesthetics. They have been devastated by injuries and disappointed by regression from their stars. They require victories in any form. They managed to split a four-game series with Arizona and book a happy flight to Monterrey, Mexico, where they will play the San Diego Padres this weekend.

Alex Wood struck out eight but lasted only five innings. His abbreviated outing added more stress to the bullpen. After eight scoreless innings in his 2018 debut, Wood has not pitched beyond the sixth inning in his last six starts. The duo of Yimi Garcia and Edward Paredes gave up a run in the sixth.

The Dodgers were mostly ineffective against Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin. In a game here on April 4, Corbin struck out 12 Dodgers. It was not an isolated event. Corbin entered Thursday with at least seven strikeouts in each of his six starts, and 55 spread across 40 innings of work.

His reputation preceded him. On Thursday morning, Cody Bellinger lounged in the Dodgers clubhouse with a hoodie covering his head. The lineup had not yet been posted. Enrique Hernandez walked by Bellinger.

“Corbin flu, eh?” Hernandez said. “I better get ready to play first base.”

Bellinger would play. So would Hernandez, although he'd start at second base. Both had already made outs when Austin Barnes came up in the top of the second. Barnes had yet to produce a home run in 2018. He had yet to produce many hits at all, with only eight in 27 games. He was still ready for an inside fastball from Corbin. Barnes drove the pitch beyond the fence in left.