The Los Angeles Dodgers had their season-best winning streak snapped at six games despite another encouraging start from Roki Sasaki. He exited with a slim lead but the Philadelphia Phillies mounted their comeback against Tanner Scott in the eighth inning.
The Dodgers fell to 6-8 in one-run games this season.
A seven-game winning streak continues to elude them as they haven’t gone on such a stretch since April 26-May 3, 2025. Now the Dodgers are looking to finish off their homestand with a series win against the Phillies in the rubber match on Sunday.
Phillies 4, Dodgers 3: key takeaways
Roki Sasaki’s velocity
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game that facing the Phillies would be good test for Sasaki amid his recent resurgence, and the right-hander responded accordingly.
Sasaki’s fastball velocity played up and he reached 100 mph for the first time this season. It came on the eighth pitch of a long at-bat against Kyle Schwarber to open the game. Sasaki struck out Schwarber and proceeded to work around a two-out walk in the first inning.
Alec Bohm led off the second inning with a home run to center field, but Sasaki bounced back to retire the next 13 batters in a row. The string was snapped on Schwarber’s check-swing that produced an infield single with one out in the sixth inning.
Alex Vesia steps up
Schwarber’s infield single was followed by a base hit from Trea Turner that ended Sasaki’s night. Alex Vesia inherited the two runners and walked Bryce Harper to load the bases before striking out Edmundo Sosa and retiring Bohm to preserve the Dodgers’ 2-1 lead.
Dodgers manufacture offense
The Dodgers quickly erased their deficit as their first three batters reached safely in the bottom of the second inning. It was capped off by an RBI single from Alex Call, who continues to shine this season and is taking advantage of more opportunities created by Teoscar Hernández’s left hamstring strain.
Call then doubled in the fourth inning, took third base on a fielding error and then scored on Santiago Espinal’s sacrifice fly. Espinal also contributed by making multiple defensive plays at third base.
Espinal’s start on Saturday was his first since re-signing with the Dodgers after electing for free agency upon getting designated for assignment and clearing waivers.
Mookie Betts provided what appeared to be some useful insurance with a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning. He finished with three hits after back-to-back hitless games. It was also Betts’ second three-hit game of the season, with both of them coming since Tuesday.
Tanner Scott blows lead
Scott’s impressive season was interrupted Saturday night as his 12.1 scoreless innings streak not only came to an end but he allowed the Phillies to take the lead.
Scott specifically struggled with two-strike pitches, an issue that plagued him throughout last year, and the Phillies capitalized. First it was a two-out RBI single by Harper, then Sosa connected for a two-run homer.
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