The Los Angeles Dodgers received shaky pitching performances from Victor Gonzalez and Joe Broussard, putting them in an early deficit en route to a 7-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields. The loss was the Dodgers’ first of the spring after going 2-0-1 in their first three games.
The two teams will meet again at Camelback Ranch on Saturday, when the Dodgers are in split-squad action. Tuesday’s matchup represented Gonzalez’s first career Cactus League appearance.
The Dodgers added the left-hander to their 40-man roster last October, in an early move to protect against potentially losing him in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft. Prior to Gonzalez taking the mound, manager Dave Roberts said he would be “disappointed” if the 24-year-old didn’t pitch for the Dodgers at some point this season.
Roberts added he wanted to see Gonzalez continue improving his command, which wound up being prophetic in some regard as it lacked against the Diamondbacks. Gonzalez failed to retire any of the first three batters faced, issuing a walk followed by allowing consecutive singles.
He completed the scheduled one inning, collected one strikeout and managed to hold the Diamondbacks to just one run.
But the wheels came off in the second inning as Joe Broussard began his relief appearance with a single, hit by pitch, RBI single, walk and two-run double. Broussard failed to record an out before being removed.
Austin Drury walked in a run, extending the Diamondbacks’ lead to 5-0, before getting through the inning.
The Dodgers mounted a rally of sorts in the fourth, when Justin Turner led off with a double down the left-field line. Corey Seager’s RBI single put the Dodgers on the board, and AJ Pollock’s two-run homer further cut into their deficit.
Pollock’s home run was more noteworthy in that it came off left-hander Matt Grace. Pollock is expected to platoon in left field with Joc Pederson, receiving the bulk of his starts against lefties.
The Diamondbacks tacked on a couple of runs late, while the Dodgers’ Minor Leaguers were not able to get anything going on offense, resulting in their first loss in Cactus League play.
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