The Los Angeles Dodgers need a win on Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks to avoid a third four-game losing streak this season, and to avoid dropping a third straight series to a National League West opponent since sweeping the Atlanta Braves.
Archie Bradley, who’s battled command issues, fell behind in the count 2-0 to Chase Utley but battled back and struck him out three pitches later. Bradley fought more command trouble and walked Corey Seager on five pitches.
He was stranded by Justin Turner and Adrian Gonzalez, with Bradley ending the inning on a strikeout. Jean Segura worked a 10-pitch at-bat against Kenta Maeda that ended in a leadoff double in the bottom of the first.
Jake Lamb followed with an RBI single to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead, though Lamb was thrown out at second base by Trayce Thompson. Two batters later, the athletic outfielder made a diving catch to end the inning.
After Bradley retired the Dodgers in order in the top of the second, Maeda followed suit in the bottom half of the inning, picking up a strikeout in the process. Bradley bookended a scoreless third inning with a strikeouts.
Maeada struck out Bradley and Michael Born in the bottom of the third before being pushed through another lengthy at-bat by Segura. The second baseman poked a two-out single to center on the seventh pitch, and Lamb followed with a walk.
Paul Goldschmidt snuck a base hit under Seager’s diving attempt to extend the Diamondbacks’ lead to 2-0 before Maeda could get out of the inning. Bradley struck out a pair in the fourth to keep his bid for a no-hitter intact.
Maeda struck out the first two batters faced in the bottom of the inning, then got Nick Ahmed to fly out. Bradley’s no-hitter was erased with one out in the fifth on a Joc Pederson solo home run.
That appeared to disrupt the Bradley’s momentum as he walked the next two batters. After a Maeda sacrifice bunt, Utley jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined a single to right-center field that scored Yasmani Grandal and Howie Kendrick to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead.
Segura again proved to be a thorn in the Dodgers’ side, with his swinging bunt turning into a throwing error on Maeda that allowed Michael Bourn to score from first base. Anticipating the throw would go home, Segura made a wide turn at second base and was nailed by Thompson.
Bradley’s first pitch in the sixth inning was crushed by Turner for a 458-foot solo home run to left-center field that gave the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. After a pair of strikeouts, Bradley again saw his first pitch clubbed for a homer, with Pederson connecting on his second solo shot of the game.
The bottom of the sixth began on a negative note for the Dodgers as Maeda was struck by a Goldschmidt line drive on his right shin. He finished the play to record the out, but was tended to by trainer Nate Lucero and assisted off the field.
The Dodgers later announced X-rays came back negative a Maeda was removed with a lower right leg contusion — the same initially said of Andre Ethier. J.P. Howell took over and gave up a base hit to the lone batter faced.
Louis Coleman allowed David Peralta to move into scoring position on a wild pitch, which was followed by a Chris Hermann RBI single. Utley put more separation between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks with a two-run home run in the seventh inning.
Casey Fien, Joe Blanton and Kenley Jansen combined for three scoreless to wrap up the Dodgers’ 7-4 victory, with Jansen striking out the side in the ninth and earning his 160th career save.
