The Los Angeles Dodgers finished off their visit to Chase Field by hanging on for a 9-8 win and series sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who had a franchise-worst losing streak extended to 17 games.
The Dodgers took a lead in the third inning on Justin Turner’s RBI single, which was followed by Albert Pujols scooping a three-run homer to left field. The long ball was Pujols’ 673rd of his career and sixth since signing with the Dodgers. Steven Souza Jr.’s RBI triple capped off the five-run inning.
Tony Gonsolin then sparked a rally with his leadoff double in the fourth and along with Chris Taylor, scored two batters later on AJ Pollock’s extra-base hit. Garrett Cleavinger’s sacrifice bunt attempt in the fifth resulted in a throwing error that brought a run in, and Pollock tacked on another with an RBI double to make it 9-1.
Before the game Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he hoped to get 45 to 60 pitches from Gonsolin, along with improved efficiency from his first two starts. Gonsolin worked exclusively out of the stretch and got through the first two innings on just 22 pitches.
He allowed a double to Ketel Marte and RBI single to Eduardo Escobar to start the fourth inning, then retired the next two batters faced. However, Roberts still brought the hook for Gonsolin at 46 pitches. The decision potentially stemmed from his fastball velocity being down from prior marks this season.
Cleavinger was first out of the bullpen with 1.1 innings, followed by David Price who allowed a run in the sixth. Edwin Uceta, recalled prior to the game and taking the place of Mitch White on the Dodgers’ roster, was charged with five runs in the eighth and fell one out short of completing two innings.
Uceta was on the mound for three of those runs, with the others coming across due to Victor Gonzalez enduring his own struggles. He issued a walk with the bases loaded and gave up a two-run single to Ketel Marte before getting out of the jam.
With their lead down to a run, the Dodgers needed Kenley Jansen, and he retired the side in order to earn the save.
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