The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled mightily against Blake Snell and their bullpen couldn’t keep the Tampa Bay Rays off the board, resulting in a 6-4 loss in Game 2 of the World Series. The teams now will be off fora a night before playing a swing game on Thursday.
After Brandon Lowe broke out of a slump with a home run to give the Rays an immediate lead, Snell needed all of 10 pitches to to get through the bottom of the first inning. The Dodgers managed two walks in the second but had nothing to show for it.
Snell got into the fifth inning before allowing a hit — a two-run homer to Chris Taylor. Snell then walked Mookie Betts and gave up a single to Corey Seager, prompting the Rays’ first pitching change of the game.
Nick Anderson ended the threat by striking out Justin Turner, though did give up a solo homer to Will Smith the following inning. It had a minimal impact on the game as the Dodgers struggled to keep the Rays off the board.
Kiké Hernandez’s failure to cleanly field a ground ball for the start of a likely inning-ending double play in the fourth led to the Rays extending their lead. Lowe’s second home run of the game then put the Dodgers in a 5-0 deficit in the fifth.
Ji-Man Choi and Manuel Margot greeted Joe Kelly with back-to-back singles in the sixth inning, leading to a sacrifice fly that brought in the Rays’ final run of the game. Lowe’s second homer and Joey Wendle’s sac fly proved all the more costly for L.A. when Seager’s solo blast in the eighth only made it a two-run game.
Gonsolin, May struggling
Tony Gonsolin’s start came on two days’ rest and he wasn’t expected to provide much length. At best, Gonsolin would go one time through the Rays’ order. However, he wasn’t sharp and managed to turn in just 1.1 innings.
Also pitching two days from his last appearance, May lacked command and usual movement on his pitches. Both rookies regressing has come at an inopportune time for the Dodgers as they have been pressed for pitching since mounting a comeback in the National League Championship Series.
If there was a silver lining, Julio Urias warmed up but did not appear in the Game 2 loss. He presumably will start or at least pitch significant innings in Game 4 on Saturday.
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