Dustin May endured more struggles with command and the Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t solve Madison Bumgarner in a 6-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers have dropped two games in a row but can still take the series if they bounce back with a win in the finale on Thursday night.
Despite being in the midst of another down season, Bumgarner looked like the version the Dodgers saw plenty of when facing the San Francisco Giants. Bumgarner had a perfect game until Mookie Betts led off the fourth inning with a home run.
Betts became the first Dodgers player since with 35 doubles and 35 home runs in the same season since Duke Snider accomplished the feat for Brooklyn in 1954. Betts’ previous career high in homers was 32 when he won the 2018 American League MVP Award.
That wound up being the only hit the Dodgers had off Bumgarner. He finished with five strikeouts against just one walk. Tuesday’s start was the first time Bumgarner held an opponent to fewer than two runs since June 29.
He was provided early run support built largely on May not locating pitches. A walk to open the game led to a stolen base and Diamondbacks striking first on Christian Walker’s two-out RBI single.
May stranded a leadoff single in the second inning, but a two-out walk and stolen base in the third again led to Walker driving in a run. Then with the bases loaded in the fourth, Corbin Carroll broke the game open with a three-run double that was blistered to center field.
May’s night came to an end at four innings, marking his shortest outing in six starts since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Trea Turner reached on an infield single in the bottom of the ninth to extend his hitting streak to 18 games. That also prevented the Dodgers from being held to fewer than two hits in a game this season.
Dodgers magic number update
Although the Dodgers lost, their magic number for the No. 1 seed in the NL was still trimmed to four thanks to the Milwaukee Brewers defeating the New York Mets.
The Dodgers’ magic number for home-field advantage through the World Series remains nine.
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