Saturday’s matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers had a little extra meaning for starting pitchers Chase Anderson and Mike Bolsinger, as the two have a longstanding relationship that dates back to their days as 15-year-old teams on a Dallas summer team.
They were also groomsmen in each other’s weddings. Bolsinger walked Scooter Gennett with one out in the first inning and he later stole second base. With two outs and Gennett in scoring position, Jonathan Lucroy’s RBI double gave the Brewers an early lead.
Justin Turner’s two-out walk in the bottom of the first wound up sparking a rally for the Dodgers. Adrian Gonzalez pulled a ground-rule double down the right field line, initially lending to some disappointment as Turner was forced to stop at third base.
However, Trayce Thompson followed with an RBI single to center that tied the game. Gonzalez was easily thrown out at home plate to end the inning. An Aaron Hill leadoff single in the second was erased as Turner snagged a Kirk Nieuwenhuis line drive and doubled up Hill at first base.
Ramon Flores kept the inning alive with a single to right field, and while pitching to Anderson, Bolsinger appeared to injure himself. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and trainer Nate Lucero checked on the right-hander, who remained in the game.
Anderson finished his at-bat with a chopper up the middle that got by a diving Howie Kendrick. The hit was just Anderson’s second of his career. Jonathan Villar and Gennett both hit RBI singles to give the Brewers a 3-1 lead before Bolsinger could get out of the inning.
Kendrick answered back in the bottom of the third, with his opposite-field solo home run cutting the Dodgers’ deficit in half. The Brewers loaded the bases in the fourth behind a walk and back-to-back singles.
CONTINUE READING: Chris Hatcher chips in at the plate
Flores knocked a two-run single into center field to pus Milwaukee’s lead to 5-2. Anderson struck out on a missed sacrifice bunt attempt, and he was the last batter Bolsinger faced. Chris Hatcher struck out Villar to strand runners at second and third base.
A Joc Pederson leadoff single and Corey Seager walk brought Turner to plate as the tying run with no outs in the bottom of the third. He fouled off multiple pitches before connecting for a three-run home run.
Yasmani Grandal added a two-run double and Hatcher helped himself with an RBI single. Hatcher then went first to third base on Pederson’s single to center. However, both runners were stranded.
Hatcher worked around a two-out walk in the fourth to keep the Dodgers’ 8-5 lead intact. Jhan Marinez retired the side in order in the bottom of the fourth, making it the first inning neither team pushed a run across.
Hatcher erased a one-out walk in the fifth by inducing Flores into a double play. Grandal was stranded in the bottom half of the inning after drawing a walk. The Brewers were stung by another tough-break line drive in the sixth, as Gennett lined to Kendrick and Villar was thrown out at first base.
Pederson extended the Dodgers’ lead to 9-5 with a leadoff home run in the the bottom of the sixth. Seager then beat the shift with a chopper down the third base line that resulted in a hustle double.
After Turner’s base hit to center put runners on the corners, Gonzalez added to the lead with an RBI single. Casey Fien gave up a solo home run to Ryan Braun in the seventh before completing an inning of relief.
Adam Liberatore followed Fien and tossed two scoreless innings to wrap up the Dodgers’ 10-6 victory.