The Los Angeles Dodgers were on the verge of pulling into a tie for first place in the National League West, only for Kenley Jansen to blow a second consecutive save that resulted in a 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
The defeat effectively offset the Dodgers’ walk-off win from Tuesday night and guaranteed the Giants will leave Dodger Stadium still in first place regardless of what unfolds in the series finale.
By alternating back-to-back wins with each team rallying in the ninth inning, the Dodgers and Giants combined to make MLB history in the Modern Era.
Even with Wednesday’s loss, the Dodgers only remain two games back of the Giants for the NL West lead. It’s certainly not the worst position to be in and impressive when taking into account their rash of injuries this season.
This is the first time in the modern era the @Dodgers and @SFGiants have each had 9th-inning comeback wins against the other in back-to-back games.
— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) July 22, 2021
The latest of which are to Mookie Betts and Justin Turner. Betts was not in the lineup for a fourth consecutive game and according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts “did not feel great” following a light workout and therefore was unavailable in the loss.
Turner didn’t start one night after being hit by a pitch in the outside of his left knee, though Roberts said he likely would have gotten him a day of rest anyhow. Turner did manage to make a pinch-hit appearance and should be available moving forward.
Dodgers try for split
The Dodgers now look to bounce back from a disappointing loss to earn a series split with the Giants. The teams will meet again for a three-game series at Oracle Park from July 27-30. L.A. is 7-5 in their head-to-head meetings thus far.
The series has already seen Jimmie Sherfy make MLB history by pitching for both the Dodgers and Giants in the same season, and Max Muncy and Turner were part of a historic day for baseball in terms of back-to-back home runs.
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