Dodgers rally but fall on home run
L.A.’s win streak snapped at nine games by Marlins
MIAMI >> Dave Roberts likes to refer to the Dodgers as “the best team in baseball.” They didn’t play like that Monday night.
The Dodgers overcame their own defensive deficiencies and did rally to tie the score in the top of the eighth inning. But Victor Gonzalez gave up a solo home run to Jorge Alfaro with two outs in the bottom of the inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Dodgers, 5-4, at Loan Depot Park.
The loss snapped the Dodgers’ nine-game winning streak (their longest since July 2017) and was
their first since they were no-hit by the Chicago Cubs on June 24.
“It wasn’t our best baseball tonight,” said Chris Taylor who had two hits and drove in a run. “Hopefully tomorrow we can start fresh and start a new winning streak.”
Gonzalez has been one of Roberts’ go-to arms out of the bullpen. Monday’s eighth inning was the 25-year-old lefthander’s team-high 36th appearance.
A starter for most of his minor league career, Gonzalez has thrown more innings in a season. But never more often.
Over his past 10 appearances, Gonzalez has faced 33 batters. Those batters have hit .385 (10 for 26) against him with six walks.
“I think the command isn’t what it has been, certainly last year. That’s kind of what it is,” Roberts said.
“He doesn’t physically look tired. The characteristics of the pitches, the velocity of the fastball — I do think there’s something to the fact that the command isn’t there. There’s been one lefty at times this year so we have gone to him a lot.”
The Marlins exploited some cracks in the Dodgers defense to build a 4-2 lead, scoring all four runs during the third and fourth innings. The Dodgers made costly errors in each of the two innings and the Marlins stole three bases on the combination of Walker Buehler and catcher Will Smith — including one by first baseman Garrett Cooper who had never stolen a base previously in his five big league seasons.
The Dodgers have allowed 67 stolen bases this season, far and away the most in the majors. The two errors also put them near the top of the National League (51, tied for fifth).
“We’ve just got to be better at varying our times, quickening up,” Roberts said. “I think Walker got really slow and didn’t give Will a chance . ... Certainly if we’re going to give them times, those guys are going to be opportunistic.”
The holes in their defense undid a lead Buehler helped build.
He led off the third inning with a double over the center fielder’s head, moved to third on a passed ball then trotted home on a double by Taylor. Two batters later, Justin Turner drove Taylor in with an RBI single.
Buehler took that 2-0 lead into the bottom of the third and promptly struck out the first two batters he faced. But a first-pitch curveball to Starling Marte hit him and Marte quickly stole second base.
Cooper punched a ground ball through the right side of the infield with the Dodgers shifted to the left. Marte scored — and Cooper grabbed his first career stolen base on the next pitch.
Adam Duvall beat out an infield single on a sprawling stop by Turner at the third-base line, putting runners at the corners.
Miguel Rojas drove in the tying run with another single through the right side. The goahead run scored when second baseman Zach McKinstry handled a ground ball but threw in the dirt to first base for an error.
Five consecutive Marlins reached base with two outs in the inning.
“I just wasn’t as crisp as I need to be,” Buehler said. “I left some pitches in some places where they could do things with it and obviously let them steal some bases that put them in position to score. That’s on me and I’m not super happy about it.”
The Marlins added another run in the fourth when Joe Panik bunted for a hit and — wait for it — stole second, going to third when Smith’s throw went into center field. Jazz Chisholm Jr. lashed a single to center field to drive Panik home.
The inning-extending errors pushed Buehler’s pitch count up and he was out after five innings. It is the first time in 17 starts this season that he failed to complete six innings.
“I don’t think it’s about the innings,” Buehler said. “It’s about how you’re doing and the position you’re putting your team in and the efficiency of what you’re doing and how you’re attacking guys. I’m let down with that and with myself tonight.
“Streaks don’t matter to me. What matters to me is putting us in a position to win and doing that as often as I can. I’ve done a good job of it so far. Obviously didn’t do it tonight and that’s frustrating to me.”
After a long day following a short turnaround in Washington Sunday, Roberts sat Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy against Marlins lefthanded starter Trevor Rogers (the Marlins’ lone All-Star representative).
He deployed all three as pinchhitters during the eighth inning. The mere sight of them must have undone the Marlins bullpen. Relievers Zach Pop — a former Dodgers prospect who was part of the trade package sent to the Baltimore Orioles in the July 2018 trade for Manny Machado — and David Hess combined to walk four Dodgers in the eighth inning, including Gavin Lux with the bases loaded.
Bellinger drove a 386-foot sacrifice fly to center field against Hess. It looked like a grand slam off the bat but came down short of the fence for a game-tying sacrifice fly.
“I thought he got just enough of it,” Roberts said. “That was a really good swing and good contact. I was blowing. I was hoping.”
The score came untied on a 1-and-2 slider to Alfaro in the bottom of the inning.
“I thought today his slider was really good,” Roberts said. “But with two strikes to Alfaro, he didn’t get it to the dirt.”