As the Los Angeles Dodgers were dealing with turning to an emergency starter in place of Mike Bolsinger, a late scratch at Camelback Ranch, their travel roster was facing the Milwaukee Brewers at Maryvale Baseball Park.
Jimmy Nelson opened the game on a positive note by retiring the first two batters faced. Yasmani Grandal lined a two-out single to left field, but was stranded as Alex Guerrero grounded into a force out.
On the mound for his first Cactus League start since March 9, Scott Kazmir allowed a leadoff single in the bottom of the first. An error put two runners on with none out, which Ryan Braun capitalized on by giving the Brewers a 1-0 lead behind an RBI single.
Kazmir struck out Will Middlebrooks on three pitches and retired Rymer Liriano to limit the damage. Nelson retired the Dodgers in order in the second inning.
Hernan Perez was erased on a force out at second base after leading off the bottom half of the inning with a base hit. A Nelson sacrifice bunt moved Yadiel Rivera into scoring position, and he scored on Colin Walsh’s RBI single.
Rico Noel led off the third with a base hit to center, however he was caught stealing with Kazmir at the plate. Nelson got Kazmir and Carl Crawford to ground out for another scoreless inning of work.
Kazmir worked around a leadoff walk by getting a strikeout, deep fly out and another strikeout to end the third inning. The Dodgers’ bats remained quiet in the fourth, as Nelson retired Chase Utley, Grandal and Guerrero.
Kazmir did the same in the home half, throwing his first 1-2-3 inning of the game. He ended the frame by catching Nelson looking at called strike three, giving Kazmir four strikeouts on the day.
CONTINUE READING: Matt West involved in scary play, Dodgers fall short against Brewers
The Dodgers finally managed to break through a bit against Nelson, with Charlie Culberson’s solo home run in the fifth cutting the Brewers lead in half. Joe Blanton replaced Kazmir in the fifth and promptly allowed a leadoff double to Walsh.
Blanton nearly got out of the inning unscathed as he retired the next two batters, but Domingo Santana gave the Brewers some breathing room with a two-out RBI single. Utley hit a two-out double in the sixth, but it didn’t amount to anything and the Dodgers trailed, 3-1, through the inning.
Blanton struck out Liriano and Perez swinging and retired pinch-hitter Alex Presley to toss a scoreless bottom of the sixth. Michael Blazek took over for the Brewers in the seventh and induced an inning-ending double play with the tying runners on base.
After a leadoff base hit in the seventh, Blanton got a fly out and picked Walsh off first base. Ramon Flores followed a Kirk Nieuwenhuis two-out single with a lineout to end the inning. Adam Liberatore struck out Shane Peterson in the eighth, then gave way to Matt West.
The right-hander hit Liriano on the face with a pitch, sending him down in a heap of pain. A neck brace was put on Liriano and he was carted off the field while laying on a stretcher. West then induced an inning-ending double play.
Blaine Boyer entered in the ninth and allowed a two-out base hit before converting the save opportunity in the Brewers’ 3-1 win.