Much like the Colorado Rockies in their recent visit to Dodger Stadium, the Arizona Diamondbacks were in strong position to avoid being swept in a three-game series. They failed to get out of their own way, however, and Chris Taylor’s walk-off single lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a walk-off victory.
Fernando Rodney undid the work of Robbie Ray, Andrew Chafin and Archie Bradley, as he allowed the Dodgers to mount a rally in the ninth inning. He surrendered a leadoff single to Yasiel Puig, then walked the bases loaded with nobody out.
A walk trimmed the Dodgers’ deficit in half and Corey Seager’s two-run base hit up the middle tied the game. Justin Turner was intentionally walked to load the bases, still with nobody out, and Rodney was replaced by T.J. McFarland.
The pitching change did nothing to slow the Dodgers’ moment as Taylor roped a game-winning single to left field. Los Angeles finished the game on a four-run rally without the Diamondbacks recording an out in the ninth.
Jake Lamb and Ray did their part to try and help the Diamondbacks avoid being swept, with Lamb slugging a pair of solo home runs and Ray matching a career high with 13 strikeouts.
By taking Rich Hill and Luis Avilan deep, Lamb doubled his number of home runs against left-handed pitching this season. Avilan surrendered a second solo home run in the eighth, which were his first homers allowed in 36 games this season.
The Diamondbacks pushed across an insurance run on a Josh Fields balk with two outs in the ninth inning. That of course, proved futile.
Rich Hill went seven innings, or one more than Ray, and collected nine strikeouts. It was a third consecutive start for Hill in which he went seven frames. Over those 21 innings he’s allowed 10 hits, four runs, walked three and struck out 27.
Each left-handed starter exited the game with the score in a deadlock because of solo home runs surrendered. The Diamondbacks struck first as Lamb crushed a hanging breaking ball down the right-field line in the fifth. The home run snapped a streak of 11.1 scoreless innings for Hill.
The Dodgers’ deficit was short-lived, however, as Logan Forsythe lined a solo home run over the center-field fence. To that point Forsythe had half of the team’s four hits off Ray.
Ray later worked himself out of a jam after issuing a leadoff walk and allowing a double to Taylor in the bottom of the sixth. The double was Taylor’s second of the game and third overall hit at the time.
Kiké Hernandez was intentionally walked to load the bases with one, which was followed by Yasiel Puig and Trayce Thompson both going down swinging. Aside from the two walks and extra-base hit, Ray struck out the side in the inning.
Chafin walked pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke to start the bottom of the seventh, but he was picked off first base soon after. Chafin walked Corey Seager with two outs and was replaced by Archie Bradley, who struck out Turner to end the inning.
With their vaunted bullpen ultimately collapsing, the Diamondbacks fell to 5.5 games back of the Dodgers in the National League West standings.
