The Los Angeles Dodgers couldn’t sustain any momentum from their fifth walk-off win of the season as they lost 8-1 to the Toronto Blue Jays in the series rubber match.
Inconsistent starting pitching cost the Dodgers once again, with Tony Gonsolin managing to pitch just five innings for a third consecutive outing.
“We got a good one from Julio (Urías) last night, so for us to get into this off day with another good one from Tony to reset the bullpen would be huge,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game.
Gonsolin lacked command throughout his start and threw a career-high 109 pitches. It marked Gonsolin’s first time exceeding 100 pitches in a start at the Major League level.
He initially managed to limit the Blue Jays to two runs through four innings by working out of multiple jams. However, when Gonsolin faced traffic again in the fifth, Whit Merrifield took advantage by hitting a three-run home run with two outs.
Gonsolin has allowed at least four earned runs in six of his last seven starts. During that stretch he has a 7.25 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and surrendered seven home runs.
The Blue Jays added onto their lead when Danny Jansen greeted Alex Vesia with a leadoff homer in the sixth inning. The same situation unfolded when Vesia last took over for Gonsolin on July 21, but in that instance it was Corey Seager hitting the home run.
Dodgers avoid shutout loss
One of the few bright spots for the Dodgers was James Outman, who went 2-for-4 with one RBI. His two-out single in the bottom of the sixth helped the Dodgers avoid what would have been their fourth shutout loss of the season.
Mookie Betts extended his on-base streak to 15 games, and Freddie Freeman has reached safely in an MLB-leading 26 in a row.
Kiké Hernández started at second base and finished 2-for-4 in his first game since being acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. Hernández has a pair of multi-hit performances in the month of July, with both coming in his last two games.
Tyson Miller, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to first pitch, allowed two runs over two innings in his Dodgers debut. Justin Bruihl was optioned in order to add Miller to the active roster.
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