Clayton Kershaw labored through six innings of a back-and-forth affair that saw the Los Angeles Dodgers fall 6-3 to the Arizona Diamondbacks, snapping their three-game winning streak.
Friday marked the 13th time Kershaw and Madison Bumgarner have started opposite each other. They last did so at Dodger Stadium during the Opening Series, which went heavily in Kershaw and the Dodgers’ favor.
Bumgarner fared much better in their rematch, but even that came with some bumps along the way. Mookie Betts went hitless in the series opener but led off Friday night with a double to straightaway center field.
That was cashed in by J.D. Martinez’s sacrifice fly giving the Dodgers an early lead.
The Diamondbacks tied the game in the bottom of the first, but James Outman put L.A. ahead with a towering solo home run in the second inning.
After Arizona again pulled even in the third inning, but Chris Taylor responded with a solo home run in the fourth. Bumgarner wound up pitching into the fifth inning before being removed with the bases loaded.
He held the Dodgers to just three runs (two earned) despite allowing five hits and issuing six walks.
Kershaw managed to protect the Dodgers’ slim lead until he surrendered back-to-back home runs to Evan Longoria and Corbin Carroll in the sixth inning. Longoria had a game-high three hits and he reached base safely in all four plate appearances.
The Dodgers tied their season high with nine walks, but both of those games have been losses to the Diamondbacks. Miguel Vargas went 0-for-2 with two walks in his return to the lineup.
Diamondbacks get to Dodgers bullpen
The Dodgers’ 4-3 deficit increased in the bottom of the eighth when Max Muncy couldn’t make a barehanded play at third base, resulting in a two-out RBI infield single for Nick Ahmed. Muncy had previously made multiple plays in the field as he tries to bounce back from a rough defensive start.
Gabriel Moreno added another insurance run with a double that chased Yency Almonte from the game.
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