LOS ANGELES—The desert is usually void of avalanches, but Friday night the Diamondbacks released an avalanche of runs against the Dodgers in the 8th inning, reclaiming the lead and never looking back.
The game was largely a back and forth affair as the teams traded leads three times. Seager was largely responsible for this, as he had three RBI including a two-run homer that gave the Dodgers the lead in the first, and a single that put the Dodgers up 3-2 in the fifth inning. The Dodgers seemed to take control of the game when Chris Taylor scored off a pinch hit home run that put them up 5-4 in the seventh inning. Then disaster ensued.
The Dodgers opened the eighth inning leading, but 5 walks, a balk by Sergio Romo, six hits and nine runs later the Diamondbacks held an eight run lead that allowed them to cruise to victory. The incredible inning was the highlight of the night for Arizona.
“Quite a day, highlighted by a very impressive eighth inning,” said Arizona manager Torey Lovullo. “I thought the at-bats inside of that inning were very patient, exactly what we’re talking about as far as handing it off to the next guy. It was much needed after a couple of lean games offensively.”
The typically reliable Dodgers bullpen was annihilated in this game and their ERA nearly doubled from 1.33 to 2.65. Manager Dave Roberts obviously wasn’t too happy about what happened in that embarrassing nine run inning.
“It was very uncharacteristic of us,” said Roberts of the Dodgers bullpen, which had allowed only eight earned runs in the first 16 games. “To get beat like this is always tough. We’ve got to turn the page quickly.”
The Dodger will have a chance to turn the page and get back to .500 Saturday when they play against the Diamondbacks. They will have to overcome the talented left arm of Robbie Ray (1-0, 1.96 ERA) who struck out 10 batters in a no decision against the Dodgers last time. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks will be looking to capitalize off of a pitcher currently boasting a 7.07 ERA, Kenta Maeda.
