The Los Angeles Dodgers looked like they were going to drop the series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, as they trailed 4-0 going into the sixth inning. But the Dodgers never quit and wound up coming away with a hard-fought, 5-4 comeback victory at Dodger Stadium.
The reason they were trailing early was Brock Stewart struggled in the early going of his second start. Two walks and a wild pitch led to a run in the first inning, and the Phillies added three more runs on a Cesar Hernandez homer in the second.
To Stewart’s credit, he did not fold from there as he bounced back to toss scoreless innings in the third and fourth, retiring the last seven hitters he faced.
After the game, Stewart said that he needs to be better from the start to get deeper into games, via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
“It was kind of rough from the get-go,” Stewart said. “If I come out with the same tempo I had in the third and the fourth inning, I can go deeper in the game and keep the team hanging around in the game.”
The bullpen was flawless for five innings in relief of Stewart, and the offense fought their way back to earn the victory. Stewart credited his teammates for picking him up:
“We had some magic tonight,” Stewart said. “The guys came back and the bullpen didn’t give up anything after me. It’s a testament to everybody on this team. Definitely fun to watch.”
With Clayton Kershaw due back from the disabled list on Thursday, Stewart’s time in the starting rotation has likely come to an end, barring any other injuries.
It is possible that he remains with the big league club as a long reliever, which is a role that Stewart has seen success in the past couple years.
As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.
