Tyler Anderson did not allow an earned run over six innings in his return from paternity leave, but four Los Angeles Dodgers errors proved to be insurmountable in a 5-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers’ defensive effort in the nightcap of their doubleheader mirrored that of the first game, though a five-run eighth inning propelled them to a comeback win. Manager Dave Roberts expressed some frustration with his team’s play, but Anderson put their loss on his shoulders.
“I felt pretty good,” Anderson said of his return. “I just kind of turned into a one-man ‘Bad News Bears’ there in the sixth inning, which could have been the difference. Other than that, just some weird things happened.”
Arizona took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Trea Turner fielded a grounder to his right and attempted to get the force play at second base for the third out. However, his throw was low and carried into right field, allowing a run to score on the error.
The personal struggles Anderson alluded to were a hit by pitch to start the sixth inning, which was followed by dropping the ball at first base on a toss from Freddie Freeman. Christian Walker was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and a sacrifice fly led to a pair of runs scoring because of throwing errors by Mookie Betts and Anderson.
The Dodgers committed a season-high four errors, their most in any game since July 2, 2021.
When asked if that could be explained by playing a doubleheader that included a 12:10 p.m. PT start time, Anderson again took blame for the loss.
“I don’t think so, because I’m the one who made the errors, and I hadn’t pitched in eight days,” he said. “The team played earlier. I didn’t play earlier. So I don’t think it’s that. It was almost mental lapses, but on me more than anyone else.”
Anderson kept routine while on paternity list
The Dodgers placed Anderson on the MLB paternity list last Saturday, which required him to miss at least one day but no more than three. During that time, the southpaw continued throwing at Camelback Ranch.
“Do what I need to do and still spend time with my family and be there for my wife,” Anderson noted. “It was really nice and really helpful, so it didn’t really affect my routine that much.”
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