After dropping the first two games, the Los Angeles Dodgers needed a win Wednesday night to avoid their first three-game losing streak this season, and prevent the Miami Marlins from winning their first series at Dodger Stadium since July 2010.
Scott Kazmir immediately found himself in trouble as Dee Gordon and Martin Prado combined for back-to-back singles to give the Marlins runners on first and second base with none out in the first inning. Christian Yelich made solid contact, but caught a bad break as he hit a liner right to Yasiel Puig.
Giancarlo Stanton extended his success at Dodger Stadium, though only with a broken-bat RBI single into left field. Marcell Ozuna also singled to left, pushing the Marlins lead to 2-0 before Kazmir could get out of the inning.
Justin Nicolino, making his first start this season and 13th of his career, retired Kiké Hernandez, Puig and Adrian Gonzalez in order in the bottom of the first. Kazmir bounced back in the second, throwing a 1-2-3 inning and collecting his strikeout of the game in the process.
Corey Seager drove a one-out base hit into center in the bottom of the second, only to be stranded by Howie Kendrick and A.J. Ellis. Kazmir hit Yelich with a pitch and walked Stanton to put two on with one out in the third inning.
He got out of the small brush with trouble unscathed on a fly out and strikeout. Hernandez was stranded after drawing a two-out walk in the bottom of the third, and the Dodgers’ deficit remained 2-0.
The Dodgers endured a scare after Gonzalez drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fourth as Seager fouled a pitch off his right shin. The young shortstop was checked on and remained in the game. Seager nearly tied the game on the next pitch, but his drive to center was caught in front of the fence.
CONTINUE READING: Don Mattingly gets ejected in eighth inning
Prado’s one-out single in the fifth inning ended Kazmir’s streak of six consecutive batters retired. It didn’t not disrupt his rhythm, however, as Kazmir got a force out at second base, and dropped Stanton to his knees on a strikeout swing to put another scoreless frame in the books.
Meanwhile, Nicolino continued to breeze his way through the game, setting the Dodgers down in order in the bottom half of the fifth. That included Kazmir, who for the second time on the night, did not swing at a pitch — presumably in effort to avoid aggravating his left wrist/thumb injury.
Kazmir opened the sixth with a strikeout, then gave up back-to-back singles with one out. The latter came on a ball to center that Trayce Thompson misjudged and had it drop in front of him. Kazmir worked his way out of the inning by getting a double play to match his season high of six innings.
Nicolino retired Hernandez, Puig and Gonzalez to keep the Dodgers scoreless and stuck on one hit through six frames. Adam Liberatore came on in the seventh and retired the first two batters faced. He then gave up a base hit, but it didn’t amount to anything.
Justin Turner led off the bottom half of the seventh with a single to center. Nicolino was out of the inning two batters later as he snagged a comebacker to start a 1-4-3 double play. Pedro Baez worked around a leadoff walk to Stanton in the eighth to throw a scoreless inning of relief.
Nicolino recorded the first out in the eighth, then gave way to Bryan Morris. He walked pinch-hitter Chase Utley on four pitches and was replaced by left-hander Cody Ege to face Yasmani Grandal, who pinch-hit for Baez.
Ege walked Grandal and was removed along with Ozuna as part of a double switch that brought Ichiro Suzuki and David Phelps in. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts countered the change by pinch-hitting Joc Pederson for Hernandez.
Phelps walked Pederson to load the bases, and was ejected by home plate umpire Todd Tichenor for arguing balls and strikes. Marlins manager Don Mattingly came rushing out of the dugout and he too got tossed.
Jose Urena took over for the Marlins once the dust settled, struck out Puig and retired Gonzalez to get Miami out of the inning with their 2-0 lead still intact. Urena then retired Turner, Seager and Kendrick in the ninth to earn a save in the Marlins’ win.