The Los Angeles Dodgers received late heroics from Max Muncy and Justin Turner but couldn’t hang on and suffered a 4-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs in nine innings to split the doubleheader. The teams now meet Wednesday evening for the rubber match of the three-game series.
Similar to Clayton Kershaw in the first game, Trevor Bauer labored in his first inning. He walked the first two batters faced but managed to get out of the jam — albeit needing 27 pitches.
Bauer issued a leadoff walk in the second before completing another scoreless inning, and he didn’t allow a hit until Kris Bryant’s double with one out in the third. Bryant was stranded, but the Cubs then broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jason Heyward ambushed Bauer’s first pitch for a leadoff home run.
It was the eighth homer Bauer has allowed this season, which is one shy of matching his total from last year’s Cy Young Award season. To his credit, Buaer held the Cubs to just one run over 4.1 innings. Victor Gonzalez helped strand Anthony Rizzo’s double to keep the Dodgers within a run.
L.A. appeared poised to strike first as Mookie Betts opened the game with a double and Chris Taylor walked. However, their momentum was quickly brought to a halt as Chris Taylor bounced into a double play.
AJ Pollock singled with one out in the second inning, only for Edwin Rios to ground into a double play. The Dodgers didn’t have another hit until Corey Seager’s single up the middle with two outs in the sixth.
Blake Treinen escaping a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth by retiring three consecutive batters after the bases were loaded, which allowed the Dodgers another opportunity to cut into their deficit.
Max Muncy made that pay off with a game-tying home run off Craig Kimbrel in the seventh inning. The homer was Muncy’s first since April 15 and the first earned run Kimbrel has allowed this season.
Dillon Maples gifted the Dodgers a go-ahead run in the eighth after Rios advanced on a groundout as he uncorked a wild pitch. It came with Justin Turner at the plate, and he finished the pinch-hit appearance with a solo homer.
The insurance proved key as it prevented the Dodgers from suffering a loss when Javier Baez lined a two-run homer out to left field in the bottom of the eighth.
David Bote delivered a walk-off win in extra innings with an RBI single off Garrett Cleavinger in the bottom of the ninth.
Dodgers struggling but scoring
Even for all their offensive shortcomings of late, the Dodgers are yet to be shut out this season. They last failed to score on September 14, 2019, and their streak of 103 consecutive games with at least one run is a franchise record.
The Dodgers were nearly held scoreless the first game of the doubleheader, saved only by Keibert Ruiz’s pinch-hit home run in the top of the seventh.
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