Aided by first-base umpire Joe West’s balk call on Tony Cingrani, the Miami Marlins tied the game in the eighth inning, then took a decided lead on Pedro Baez in the ninth to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2.
The loss prevented the Dodgers from tying their season-best four-game winning streak, and delayed the possibility of taking three series in a row for the first time this year. Plus, they lost ground on the Arizona Diamondbacks and are now five games back in the National League West.
Cingrani’s trouble began with Derek Dietrich’s one-out single in the eighth inning. Two batters after West’s controversial balk call, Starlin Castro pulled a game-tying double down the left-field line. Cingrani exchanged words with West as he walked off the field between innings.
The Marlins quickly went to work on Baez, who allowed a leadoff single to Brian Anderson followed by a go-ahead double to Cameron Maybin.
Before the bullpen failed to maintain the tie, the Dodgers rallied in the seventh inning. On the 15th anniversary of collecting his first Major League hit, a grand slam, Chase Utley pinch-hit for Kiké Hernandez with two outs and the bases loaded.
Although he didn’t reprise the grand slam, Utley worked a walk to give the Dodgers their decided lead. It was the team’s second bases-loaded walk this season, both of which belong to Utley.
The table was in some part set for him by Chris Taylor pulling a single into left field to put two on with two outs and extend his hitting streak to seven games. Joc Pederson’s two-out walk also led to Utley being in position to bat for Kiké Hernandez.
Well before Utley’s walk brought in the winning run, the Dodgers broke a scoreless tie in the second inning behind doubles from Matt Kemp and Austin Barnes. They were in position to extend it when Corey Seager doubled with one out in the third inning.
He advanced to third base on a wild pitch that was ball four to Cody Bellinger, but Kemp stranded both runners.
Kenta Maeda navigated some traffic in the third inning but surrendered a game-tying home run to J.T. Realmuto with two outs in the third. It was one of four hits Maeda allowed over six innings.
Maeda finished with seven strikeouts and picked up his first hit, a leadoff single in the fifth inning.
Fresh off being called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, Daniel Hudson struck out two and needed just 11 pitches to throw a 1-2-3 seventh inning in his Dodgers debut.
