The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen didn’t blow a lead Tuesday night, but the end result was nonetheless the same. A 2-1 defeat at the hands of the San Francisco Giants extended the Dodgers’ losing streak to five games.
In his first relief appearance since being moved to the bullpen, Kenta Maeda faced an immediate jam by allowing back-to-back singles to start the ninth inning. He nearly escaped trouble but allowed what proved to be a game-winning RBI single to Alen Hanson.
Prior to Maeda taking the mound, J.T. Chargois, Caleb Ferguson and Dylan Floro combined to hold the Giants to just one hit and one walk over three shutout innings. That not only kept the Dodgers in the game, it provided a reprieve for the heavily-criticized bullpen.
Aside from the team still suffering a loss, it was all for naught in the sense that the major talking point was the benches-clearing brawl in the seventh inning. It ignited after Yasiel Puig had outward display of frustration with himself over fouling off a pitch.
Giants catcher Nick Hundley seemingly took exception to that, the two exchange words, and Puig shoved Hundley to prompt the benches and bullpens clearing onto the field.
While such dustups in the past have proven to serve as rallying cry of sorts, manager Dave Roberts wasn’t convinced that would be the case for the Dodgers, according to Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times:
“It’s not as simple as that,” he said.
The Dodgers did appear to receive an initial boost, though it wasn’t until the eighth inning, and it involved a third double on the night from Justin Turner. Manny Machado followed with a game-tying single, collecting his first RBI since July 30.
As for the Dodgers, the loss dropped them into third place in the National League West and two games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They need a win Wednesday to avoid being swept by the suddenly resurgent Giants.
During their five-game skid, the Dodgers have lost four consecutive games in their opponents’ final at-bats. Per Elias Sports Bureau, that is a first in franchise history.
