With Dustin May suffering a potentially significant injury and failing to protect a lead, the Los Angeles Dodgers were unable to complete a three-game sweep at Chase Field as they suffered a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
May was struck by a comeback in his left ankle that went for an infield single to lead off the bottom of the first inning. He hobbled around the mound in pain and was checked on by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and a trainer before eventually remaining in the game.
May’s velocity held and he allowed a second base hit but managed to complete a scoreless first. However, that wound up being his final inning of work. May was warming up for the second when Roberts and the trainer again went out to the mound, but this time removed the rookie.
Roberts told Alanna Rizzo on SportsNet LA that an x-ray on May’s foot was “inconclusive” and he was due to undergo more testing Friday.
Victor Gonzalez kept the game scoreless but Alex Wood struggled through the third. After Corey Seager and AJ Pollock hit back-to-back home runs against Madison Bumgarner in the top half of the inning, Wood gave up a game-tying double to Christian Walker.
Only one of the runs was earned, as Max Muncy’s error at third base allowed Josh Rojas to reach to star the inning.
Tony Gonsolin was next to appear in what became a de facto bullpen game for the Dodgers. He stranded a pair of singles in the fourth inning and retired the side in order in the fifth, only for the Diamondbacks to push across three runs in the sixth.
That was compounded by the Dodgers self-inflicting damage in the top of the inning. After a Kiké Hernandez lead off walk, Will Smith singled into center field. The throw to third base was cut out and Smith was backpicked at first.
Austin Barnes drew a one-out walk, yet an inexplicable double steal attempt with Mookie Betts at the plate backfired as Hernandez was thrown out at home. Seager grounded into an inning-ending double play after Betts walked.
L.A. had another chance in the eighth, with pinch-hitter Edwin Rios representing the tying run. He struck out on three pitches and Betts flied out to end the threat.
The Dodgers had just two hits after the fourth inning. Overall, Smith had four of their nine hits in the game.
Betts starts at second base
What most initially took as a typo, Betts started at second base and Hernandez was in right field. Roberts explained Betts approached him about the idea a couple weeks back and Thursday represented a test run in the event a wild scenario in the postseason requires even more flexibility from the Dodgers.
The bulk of balls hit to Betts were not routine, though he did manage to record a putout.
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