The Los Angeles Dodgers received more negative news on the injury front prior to Tuesday’s game, with Yasiel Puig getting scratched from the lineup due to a sore left hamstring. The club then officially placed Alex Wood on the 15-day disabled list and recalled Julio Urias.
To top it all off, the Dodgers, who managed just one hit in Monday’s loss, faced Chicago Cubs ace Jake Arrieta. He picked up one two strikeouts and worked around an Adrian Gonzalez two-out single to throw a scoreless first inning.
Dexter Fowler drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first, but was erased on a force out. Scott Kazmir struck out Kris Bryant then grazed Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to put two on with two outs. Nothing came of it as Ben Zobrist couldn’t check his swing and struck out to end the inning.
Yasmani Grandal reached with two outs in the second inning on a Miguel Montero fielding error. Grandal later faked toward second base, prompting Montero to throw toward second base from his knees.
No one was covering the bag, resulting in Montero’s throw carrying into center field and Grandal moving into scoring position. That’s where he was stranded, with Arrieta getting Carl Crawford to strikeout on a pitch in the dirt.
The ball kicked away from Montero, but Crawford slowly walked toward the dugout, which allowed Montero to easily tag him to end the inning. Kazmir set the Cubs down in order in the bottom of the second, collecting his third strikeout of the game in the process.
CONTINUE READING: Dodgers withstand Arrieta, multiple Cubs streaks snapped
Corey Seager pulled a base hit into right field by a diving Zobrist with two outs in the third and was stranded as Gonzalez followed with a broken-bat grounder to second base. Fowler lined a one-out single into right field, only to be picked off first base soon after.
Trayce Thompson appeared to reach on an Addison Russell throwing error with one out in the fourth inning, but the Cubs challenged the safe call and replay showed Rizzo applying the tag. Arrieta completed another scoreless frame by inducing Howie Kendrick into a groundout.
Kazmir continued to match his counterpart, retiring the Cubs in order in the bottom of the fourth. Zobrist, who entered play with a 16-game hitting streak, struck out to end the inning a second time in as many at-bats.
With Crawford standing on first base after hitting into a force out, Kazmir inexplicably pulled his bunt back to swing and hit into an inning-ending double play in the fifth. He returned to the mound and proceeded the retire the side in order, ending the inning with his sixth strikeout of the game.
Fowler nearly gave the Cubs a lead in the bottom of the sixth but the wind kept his deep fly ball to left-center field in play for the second out of the inning. Kazmir then fielded a comebacker to give him 10 consecutive batters retired.
Arrieta issued a trio of consecutive walks to load the bases in the seventh inning. After throwing four straight balls to Crawford, Arrieta settled in and struck out pinch-hitter Justin Turner on three pitches to escape the threat.
Joe Blanton entered in the bottom of the seventh and picked up two strikeouts as he retired the three batters faced. Chase Utley led off the eighth inning with a single that landed one step in front of Heyward in right field.
Clayton Richard then ran into trouble as Seager reached on an infield single, and Gonzalez’s RBI single gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Adam Warren replaced Richard and allowed another run to come across on a Kendrick sacrifice fly before ending the inning.
After Blanton threw a second scoreless inning, the Dodgers padded their lead in the ninth behind a three-run Seager homer. Adam Liberatore came on in the bottom of the inning to wrap up the Dodgers’ 5-0 victory.
Their pitching staff ended the night by retiring the last 19 batters faced. What’s more the loss snapped the Cubs’ 23-game winning streak in games Arrieta starts, and Zobrist saw his 16-game hitting streak come to an end.