‘Starting ERA 25.07’ Dodgers disaster, upset for third straight year

The Dodgers, with a starting ERA of 25.07, have been upset for the third consecutive year, while Arizona has regained their three-game winning streak.

For the third straight year, the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered an upset in the postseason. For the first time in the postseason, they gave up four home runs in one inning in an epic collapse.

The Dodgers fell to the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2-4, in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) of the 2023 Major League Baseball postseason, best-of-three, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday.

After losing Game 1, 2-11, and Game 2, 2-4, the Dodgers never held a lead until Game 3 and were swept in the best-of-three series. The Dodgers (100-62) had a superior regular season record, with 16 more wins than Arizona (84-78), but the postseason turned the tables.

For the third straight year, the Dodgers have been upset by teams with fewer than 90 wins after winning 100 or more regular-season games, following a 2-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves in the 2021 NLCS and a 1-3 loss to the San Diego Padres in last year’s NLDS. A six-game postseason losing streak dating back to last year.

Arizona, on the other hand, which swept the Dodgers, advanced to the Championship Series for the first time in 16 years since 2007.

After Kershaw-Miller, even Lynn collapses, 25.07 starting ERA a disaster

The Dodgers were blown out early by their starters in both Games 1 and 2. In Game 1, the reliable Clayton Kershaw had an unbelievable outing, allowing six runs on six hits and one walk in ⅓ of an inning. Kershaw has always been vulnerable in fall baseball, 먹튀검증토토사이트 but he’s never looked so helpless. In game two, rookie fireballer Bobby Miller also struggled with his pitches, giving up three runs on four hits with two walks and one strikeout in 1⅔ innings.

With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers turned to veteran Lance Lynn to start Game 3. Unlike Kershaw and Miller, Lynn didn’t allow a run until the second inning. After retiring the side in order in the first, he struck out Evan Longoria on a high fastball with runners on second and third to keep the game scoreless, but was quickly knocked around by four home runs in the third inning alone.

After leading off the inning with a solo shot to right-center to Gerardo Perdomo, Lynn gave up a solo shot to Ketel Marte one inning later. Two batters later, he gave up another solo shot to left to Christian Walker and a back-to-back solo shot to left to Gabriel Moreno. Four home runs in one inning is a postseason record, and Lynn was disgraced.

Four-seam fastballs, cutters, and sliders were all timed correctly by Arizona hitters, but Moreno crushed a four-seam fastball right down the middle of the plate for a foul ball to right field. The initial call was a home run, but video review showed it was just off the fence. It was overturned as a foul, but he took the next pitch and crushed a line drive over the left field fence.

Lin, who hit 44 home runs in the regular season, the most in both leagues, has become a “home run factory” in fall ball. It’s only the second time a Dodgers pitcher has given up four homers in the postseason since Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the 2017 NLDS. That time, Kershaw gave up four home runs to Arizona, but still managed to get the win in 6 1/3 innings. On this day, however, Lynn was at the center of a three-game early exit disaster.

The Dodgers’ three starters have combined for 13 runs in 4 ⅔ innings in Game 3 of this NLDS. None of them lasted more than three innings and were pulled early. It was no contest for Arizona, whose three starters – Merrill Kelly (6 1/3 scoreless innings), Zach Gallon (5 1/3 scoreless innings), and Brandon Potts (4 1/3 scoreless innings) – combined for a 1.13 ERA in 16 innings.

Batting order changes didn’t work, either, as the offense went 3-for-6

After silencing the bats in Games 1 and 2 with two runs apiece, the Dodgers tried to shake things up in Game 3 with a batting order change. Kike Hernandez moved into the starting center field spot and J.D. Martinez moved up to bat third, leaving out James Outman, who looked too nervous in his first fall ball. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, who struggled in Games 1 and 2, stayed in the 1-2 spots. However, they were only able to drive in two runs on the day, giving them a total of six runs in the three games of the series.

They were shut down by Arizona rookie starter Pott. After back-to-back 1-2-3 innings, the Dodgers got Hernandez to lead off the third with a single. It was his first hit of the game, but David Peralta’s double ended the offense.

After another strikeout in the fourth, the Dodgers had a runner in scoring position in the fifth when Will Smith doubled. That’s when Arizona rained out its starter, who had pitched 4⅓ scoreless innings. Chris Taylor struck out swinging against reliever Joe Mantifley, and Hernandez flied out to left field to end the chance.

The long silence was broken two batters into the seventh inning. After back-to-back singles by Max Muncy and Smith put runners on first and second with one out, the Dodgers scored their first run on Taylor’s single to left and Hernandez’s double to left-center, but pinch-hitter Austin Barnes was stranded at third on a grounder to short and the Dodgers settled for a two-run lead.

In the eighth, Colton Wong led off with a walk, but Betts and Freeman followed with back-to-back strikeouts and Martinez was stranded on a fly ball to center field. In the ninth, Smith led off with a single but was stranded at home. Taylor’s big hit was caught in front of the center field fence. It traveled 407 feet (124.1 meters) and would have been a home run in 22 of 30 stadiums.

Nos. 1-3 Betts, Freeman and Martinez went a combined 4-for-4. For the NLDS, Betts is 1-for-11 with a walk and two strikeouts, while Freeman is 1-for-10 with a walk and two strikeouts. Combined, they went 1-for-21 with a 4-for-8 batting average, an uncharacteristic fall for MVP candidates.

A knife-edge pitching change, and Arizona never gave up a lead

Arizona’s starting pitcher Potts pitched 4 1/3 innings of two-hit ball, striking out two and walking none to set the stage for the win. In addition to his four-seam fastball (21), which topped out at 94.6 mph (152.2 km/h) and averaged 93.7 mph (150.8 km/h), he used a changeup (11), sweeper (5), curve (3) and sinker (2). He induced six infield grounders with his low, body-side pitches and struck out two with his changeup as the deciding pitch.

But after giving up a double to Smith with one out in the fifth, Arizona manager Torrey Lovullo took the mound and replaced Potts. He only needed 42 pitches, but the knife-edge change ended the Dodgers’ rally. Robullo’s quick pitching change paid off as the next pitcher, Joe Mantifley, struck out and grounded out to end the inning.

He retired the next four batters in a row in the bottom of the sixth to cut the inning short, bringing in Ryan Thompson. With two outs and runners on first and second in the seventh, he brought in rookie left-hander Andrew Salfranc. Another pitching change was successful as Salfrank got Barnes to ground out to third.

Following the starting pot, the five-man bullpen of Mantifley (1 1/3 scoreless innings), Thompson (1 1/3 scoreless innings), Salfrank (1 1/3 scoreless innings), Kevin Zinkel (1 scoreless inning), and Paul Seewald (1 scoreless inning) combined for 4⅔ scoreless innings to keep the Dodgers off the board. Seawald earned the save.

At the plate, Marte went 2-for-4 with a home run and one RBI, while Thomas went 2-for-4 with a multi-hit game. Arizona absolutely bombed the Dodger mound, exploding for 11 home runs in Game 3 of the NLDS.

After sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers in two games in the Wild Card Series, Arizona swept the Dodgers in three games to complete a five-game sweep of fall baseball and advance to the Championship Series for the first time in 16 years since 2007. They will face the winner of the NLDS between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves in a best-of-seven series to advance to the World Series.

No Comments

Add Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.