The Los Angeles Dodgers faced the Baltimore Orioles in the second of their three-game series riding a five-game winning streak and looking to win an 11th straight game at home.
Hyun-soo Kim doubled off Kenta Maeda with one out in the first inning. Maeda then received help from Trayce Thompson, who made a catch on the run in right-center field to rob Manny Machado of an extra-base hit and RBI. Kim advanced on to third base on a wild pitch, where he was stranded as Chris Davis struck out swinging.
Newly minted All-Star Corey Seager didn’t waste any time in extending his hitting streak to 18 games as he hit a one-out hustle double in the bottom of the first.
Adrian Gonzalez continued with his hot stretch, giving the Dodgers an early lead on his RBI single. Maeda ran into trouble in the second inning as he walked Mark Trumbo and gave up a base hit to Matt Wieters, who was one of five Orioles named to the American League All-Star roster.
Baltimore tied the game on Jonathan Schoop’s blooper to right field that dropped and resulted in a 9-6 fielder’s choice. Maeda limited the damage to just one run by inducing J.J. Hardy into an inning-ending double play.
Chris Taylor singled with one out in the bottom of the second and moved into scoring position on Maeda’s sacrifice bunt. He was stranded as Chris Tillman got Chase Utley to fly out. Adam Jones dropped a one-out double down the right field line in the third inning.
After Manny Machado was intentionally walked, Maeda got away with a hanging breaking ball to Davis. Tillman quickly retired the Dodgers in order in the bottom of the third, getting Seager, Thompson and Gonzalez to ground out.
Baltimore managed a pair of hits in the fourth inning but Maeda otherwise struck out the side to escape the jam. Kendrick singled with two outs in the bottom of the fourth but was then caught stealing for the first time since April 2015.
Kendrick went 12-for-12 on stolen base attempts, including swiping seven bags this season, between being caught. With no outs in the fifth and runners on first and second base, Machado crushed a hanging breaking ball that landed four rows from the top of the left field pavilion.
Louis Coleman worked around a one-out single in the sixth inning to keep the Orioles’ lead at 4-1. Yasiel Puig drew his second walk of the game in the bottom of the sixth but was stranded by Yasmani Grandal.
Luis Avilan, who was called up on Tuesday when Julio Urias was optioned, collected a strikeout and threw a 1-2-3 seventh inning. Tillman retied the Dodgers in order, ending the inning with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Will Venable on his 100th pitch of the game.
Trumbo reached on a sinking liner to left field that the Orioles challenged to have the out call overturned. Joey Rickard entered as a pinch runner and moved into scoring position on a Chris Hatcher wild pitch, then advanced to third on Hatcher’s errant pickoff throw.
Schoop was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with one out but they were both stranded as Hatcher used a strikeout and foul out to escape the jam. Brad Brach came on in the bottom of the eighth and struck out the side consisting of, Utley, Seager and Thompson.
Hatcher retired the Orioles in order in the ninth but it was to no avail as the Dodgers weren’t able to build on Gonzalez’s leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning and lost, 4-1.
