The only suspense for Rich Hill on Tuesday night was how deep he would pitch into the series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, after allowing five runs in the first inning. He was removed with two outs in the fourth, and though the Los Angeles Dodgers railleed in the ninth, they suffered a third consecutive loss.
Hill surrendered a two-run homer to A.J. Pollock in the first inning, a two-run double to Brandon Drury and an RBI single to Jake Lamb. The Diamondbacks combined for six hits in the inning, half of which went for extra bases.
Hill labored to the tune of 35 pitches and in a strange twist struck out three. He worked around a Chris Iannetta one-out single in the second by inducing a double play to finish off a six-pitch inning.
The Diamondbacks were retired in order in the third but scored again in the fourth on David Peralta’s two-out triple that cashed in Lamb’s leadoff walk.
While Ross Stripling stranded the inherited runner in the fourth inning, he was tagged by Paul Goldschmidt for a home run in the fifth. It was the lone run — and hit — Stripling allowed in his 1.1 innings of work.
Zack Godley endured his share of lumps that on most other nights would likely result in a loss. Yasiel Puig and Chris Taylor each connected for booming home runs, Puig’s a solo shot in the third, and Taylor’s a two-run blast that came in the fourth inning.
Yasmani Grandal’s two-out single in the fourth pulled the Dodgers to within a run at the time. Adrian Gonzalez’s RBI double off Archie Bradley with two outs in the eighth trimmed their deficit to 7-5.
Chase Utley led off the ninth inning with a double, and advanced to third base on a pitch in the dirt. Utley scored on Taylor’s RBI infield single, and Fernando Rodney hit Justin Turner with a pitch to put two on with two outs before earning the save in the Diamondbacks’ 7-6 win.
Corey Seager, who is nursing a sore right elbow and did not start, grounded out in his pinch-hit appearance, ending a 15-game hitting streak.
