The Los Angeles Dodgers fell to 12-16 on Monday with another disappointing loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks’ victory further cemented their first-place standing in the National League West, as they now boast an eight-game lead over the Dodgers.
For the second consecutive contest, the Dodgers found themselves trailing early on. The Diamondbacks jumped out to an early lead in the second inning when A.J. Pollock hit his first of three home runs on the night — a solo shot off Ross Stripling, who started for the injured Rich Hill.
The offensive barrage would continue as the Diamondbacks entered the sixth inning with a 5-0 lead. But Los Angeles didn’t go down without a fight, and scored five runs in the span of three innings, beginning in the sixth.
The Diamondbacks, however, added three additional insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings to solidify their 20th win of the season. Despite ultimately falling short, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was happy with the club’s comeback effort, via SportsNet LA:
“I loved the way that we competed until the last out. We really did. We lost by three runs but the fight was there tonight.”
The Dodgers, at one point, trailed by only two runs in the seventh inning when Max Muncy hit his second homer of the season off Diamondbacks reliever Yoshihisa Hirano. But Arizona would answer back with two of their own in the bottom of the frame, on a hit by pitch and error.
It was a frustrating game all-around for the Dodgers, who played sloppily on both sides of the ball. Further adding to the cause was home-plate umpire Jerry Layne’s inconsistent strike zone, which Cody Bellinger and Roberts took exception to after the game.
