Logan Forsythe and Justin Turner returned to the lineup but it was not enough for the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins. It was a their third consecutive defeat at the hands of the Marlins and third in four games this season. Overall, the Dodgers are mired in a season-worst five-game losing streak.
Turner first his presence felt in the second inning by fielding a chopper, alertly tagging Cameron Maybin and throwing to first base for a double play that got Alex Wood out of a small jam. Then in the fourth, Turner led off with a single to break up Wei-Yin Chen’s no-hitter.
Austin Barnes later singled with one out but both runners were stranded by Cody Bellinger and Forsythe. Turner was in position to provide an immediate boon to the Dodgers’ struggles with runners in scoring position but he lined out to strand a pair and end the fifth inning.
That came after Turner and the Dodgers endured a scare as a fastball ran in on him and caught the knob of the bat instead of Turner’s left wrist.
With the offense that mustered just five hits, went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving six on base, Alex Wood’s job was made all the more difficult. He surrendered nine hits, all singles, and limited the Marlins to two runs over six innings.
Back-to-back singles by Martin Prado and J.T. Realmuto with nobody out in the first inning later came back to hurt Wood when the Dodgers failed to turn a double play. The forceout at second base allowed Prado to score.
Singles by Brian Anderson and Justin Bour to start the bottom of the fourth later produced a run on Miguel Rojas’ sacrifice fly.
It wasn’t until Wood was due to come out of the game in favor of a pinch-hitter that the Dodgers got on the board, thanks to Yasiel Puig’s solo home run in the seventh inning. It marked a second consecutive game in which Puig homered.
But the Dodgers bullpen failed to keep the deficit to one run, as Adam Liberatore surrendered a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning, and upon entering the game, JT Chargois allowed an RBI double to Realmuto and run-scoring single to Anderson.
That proved vital, considering Cody Bellinger slugged what would have been a game-tying solo home run in the ninth inning.
