The Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers each sent a starting pitcher to the mound who is looking to fill a fifth spot in their club’s respective rotation. While that was the story entering Friday’s game, offense quickly became the focus.
Zack Godley got off to a rough start as his first pitch of the game was lined up the middle for a base hit by Andre Ethier. Following a Justin Turner walk, Chase Utley hit a broken-bat single that got by Paul Goldschmidt and was booted by Chris Owings.
Yasiel Puig’s sacrifice fly then extended the Dodgers’ lead to 2-0. Puig was followed in the lineup by Yasmani Grandal, who only recently returned from a right arm contusion that kept him out of action for one week.
Grandal fell behind in the count, but deposited Godley’s hanging pitch over the fence in right-center field for his first home run of Spring Training:
Then with the Dodgers lead cut to 4-3, Howie Kendrick led off the third inning with a solo home run to straightaway center:
Los Angeles was unable to protect their lead as Beachy put the bullpen in a bad spot in the bottom of the third and relievers struggled in the subsequent innings. Cody Bellinger, who’s had an impressive spring, helped the Dodgers cut into their deficit with a solo home run in the seventh:
That was as close as the Dodgers managed to get in their 11-8 loss to the Diamondbacks in front of a sellout crowd at Salt River Fields.
