The Los Angeles Dodgers looked to get back on track Wednesday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles in the rubber match after having their 10-game home winning streak snapped Tuesday night.
Bud Norris made his second start as a Dodger, facing the Orioles team he was a member of from 2013-15, for the first time since being released. Norris was opposed by young right-hander Kevin Gausman.
Norris gave up a one-pout single to Hyun-Soo Kim in the top of the first, but ended up getting Manny Machado to fly out and Chris Davis struck out to end the inning. Chase Utley led off the bottom half of the first with a single, and one batter later the red-hot Justin Turner hit a two-run home run to left field to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead.
Mark Trumbo hit a pop up just back of third base that Corey Seager lost in the sun and called for help from Turner too late. The ball landed between them for a leadoff sun-double. Ryan Flaherty cashed it in with a one-out RBI double to the right field corner.
A.J. Ellis and Norris both singled with two outs in the second, but nothing came of it as Gausman struck out Utley to end the inning. Norris ran into some trouble in the top of the third as he gave up back-to-back hits to Adam Jones and Kim to put runners at the corners with no outs for Machado.
Celebrating his 24th birthday, the All-Star third baseman grounded into a double play that scored a run to tie the game at 2-2. Gausman worked around a two-out Adrian Gonzalez single in the bottom of third to keep the game tied.
The Orioles then took their first lead in the top of the fourth as Trumbo hit an opposite-field solo home run to lead off the inning. Flaherty drew a walk and Norris later walked Gausman with two outs in what was an 11-pitch plate appearance.
Jones then flied out to strand both runners. A Howie Kendrick leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth was quickly erased as Scott Van Slyke grounded into a double play. Gausman got A.J. Ellis to fly out to end a scoreless inning.
Norris bounced back with a quick 1-2-3 fifth inning, ending it by striking out Davis a third time on the afternoon. Will Venable pinch-hit for the Dodgers starter in the bottom of the fifth and grounded out.
Utley doubled and Seager drew a walk to put the go-ahead runs on base with one out. After Turner chased a high fastball and struck out, Gonzalez dropped a two-run blooper into center that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead.
Casey Fien allowed the Orioles to tie the game just two pitches into the sixth inning as Trumbo hit his second home run of the day. A bunt single and walk put two runners on but Fien got out of the inning without allowing further damage.
After giving up a leadoff double to Kendrick in the bottom of the sixth, Orioles reliever Dylan Bundy struck out the side — Van Slyke, Ellis and pinch-hitter Yasiel Puig. Adam Liberatore retired the side in order in the seventh inning.
His 23rd consecutive scoreless appearance tied with John Candelaria (1991) for most in Dodgers history. Seager followed Utley’s leadoff single in the seventh with a double to right-center field. That extended his hitting streak to 19 games, which is the second-longest hitting by a rookie in Los Angeles franchise history.
Bundy struck out Turner and intentionally walked Gonzalez to load the bases with one out. Trayce Thompson went down swinging on three pitches and Bundy battled back after being down 3-0 in the count to get called strike three on Kendrick.
Bundy ran his string of strikeouts to eight by catching pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal looking. Ellis snapped the streak by drawing a walk, which then led to Bundy being replaced. Kenta Maeda entered as a pinch-runner for Ellis and went first to third base on Utley’s two-out double to right field.
Brad Brach intentionally walked Seager to load the bases, with the decision paying off as Turner flied out to end the inning. Kenley Jansen struck out the side in the ninth to keep the score tied at 4-4.
At that point in the game, Orioles pitchers had combined for 14 strikeouts, while Dodgers pitchers had 13 combined strikeouts. Brach added to the Orioles’ total by picking up two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
One of his strikeout victims was Thompson, who became a Golden Sombrero recipient. Luis Avilan worked a around a one-out walk in the 10th to toss a scoreless inning. J.P. Howell struck out the first two batters faced in the 11th to set a new Dodger Stadium record with 33 combined strikeouts.
Utley led off the bottom of the 11th with a single to left field, marking his second career five-hit game. Turner singled to left to put two on with one out, but Gonzalez grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Machado walked with one out in the 12th and went first to third base on a grounder to the right side as the Dodgers were in a shift. The play was of course reminiscent of what Daniel Murphy did in Game 5 of the 2015 National League Division Series.
Howell intentionally walked Trumbo and it marked the end of his day. Louis Coleman entered and got a groundout to end the inning. With two outs and Joey Rickard on first base after a pinch-hit single, Jones worked a full count.
That gave Rickard a head start on what ended up being a single to right field. Puig hit Utley, who then threw home to nail Rickard on his attempt to score the go-ahead run. Utley singled with two outs in the bottom of the 13th to give him his first career six-hit game.
It didn’t amount to anything however, as Seager struck out swinging. Chris Hatcher gave up back-to-back singles with one out in the 14th inning. Schoop then hit a fly-ball double to center field that Thompson came up empty on a diving attempt.
The ball skipped off his glove, which allowed a second run to score and the Orioles to take a 6-4 lead. Gonzalez doubled with one out in the bottom half of the inning and Thompson drew a four-pitch walk.
After Kendrick hit into a force out, Zach Britton intentionally walked Grandal to face Hatcher. He hit softly back to the box but the play ended with some intrigue as Britton nearly threw the ball away.
Davis managed to snag the high throw and kept his foot on the bag to for the final out in the Orioles’ 6-4 victory.
