Dodgers make most of breaks in victory
The Dodgers nearly cost themselves a victory Sunday by making an error in the field against the Philadelphia Phillies. They made another error that counted on the scoreboard, and a couple more that didn't, Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The fate of the baseball gods is nothing if not fickle. The Dbacks never took advantage of the mistakes, but one of their own loomed large over the Dodgers' 5-4 victory.
With a pair of runners on base and a 2-0 deficit in the fifth inning, Mookie Betts' line drive got past rookie center fielder Alek Thomas and rolled all the way to the deepest part of Dodger Stadium. Both runners scored, tying the game 2-2. The next batter, Freddie Freeman, smoked a double against Madison Bumgarner to score Betts with the go-ahead run.
The Dodgers had caught a break.
Pitcher Tony Gonsolin threw a season-high six innings and allowed two runs, giving his bullpen a badly needed breather. The right-hander matched a career high by throwing 92 pitches. But until the fifthinning hits by Betts and Freeman — sandwiched around Thomas' costly error — Gonsolin's efforts had gone for naught.
Chris Taylor homered and doubled as part of a 2-for-4 performance before the announced crowd of 42,650. Max Muncy continued his slow climb out of a season-long pit with a pair of singles, the latter on a bunt to begin the sixth inning. Taylor followed with an oppositefield home run and the Dodgers led 5-2.
Muncy's batting average was as low as .130 on May 3. It now stands at .163.
Gonsolin (4-0) completed six innings only once in his first six starts of the season. The Dodgers needed more than that with a doubleheader looming Tuesday, part of a stretch of 31 games in 30 days. He allowed three hits, walked two batters and struck out seven before turning the game over to the bullpen.
Christian Walker's solo homer off Gonsolin gave Arizona a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Ketel Marte led off the fourth inning with a routine pop fly to shallow left field. Third baseman Justin Turner had the only play on it, but couldn't close his glove on the ball after drifting underneath. The play was scored a hit.
The next batter, Walker, hit a dribbler to shortstop that Trea Turner charged but couldn't glove cleanly. Marte went to third base, then scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Dbacks ahead 2-0.
Gavin Lux made the critical play in the field Sunday, allowing a ground ball to trickle through his legs in the second inning, leading to four unearned runs. Lux redeemed his mistake by delivering the game-winning hit in the ninth inning against Phillies closer Corey Knebel.
Lux had another adventure Monday. Playing left field, he camped his glove under a lazy fly ball in foul territory, only to see it bounce out — a foul ball. As fate would have it on this day, the play did not cost the Dodgers.
Left-hander Caleb Ferguson made his 2022 debut with a scoreless seventh inning in relief of Gonsolin. Daniel Hudson tossed a scoreless eighth. Craig Kimbrel allowed a two-run home run to David Peralta in the ninth inning, then came back to strike out Geraldo Perdomo and retiring Thomas on a groundout to end the game.
Kimbrel is 6 for 6 in save situations.
The Dodgers (22-12) lead the San Diego Padres (2213) by half a game in the National League West standings, five games ahead of Arizona (18-18).