PHOENIX — He hasn’t tormented them quite as much as Paul Goldschmidt, whose 36 career home runs against the Dodgers are the most among active players, or with the frequency of Christian Walker, whose 30 home runs against the Dodgers have come in nearly 300 fewer at-bats – or with the emotional baggage of Manny Machado (25 career homers against his brief employer).
Read more Renegade is favorite for Belmont rematch with Derby winner Golden Tempo
But Nolan Arenado is on the list.
Arenado’s 33rd career home run against the Dodgers came in the seventh inning Monday night, bringing an outstanding start by Emmet Sheehan to a crashing halt and breaking a 1-1 tie. The Arizona Diamondbacks went on to beat the Dodgers, 4-1, in the opener of a four-game series at Chase Field.
The loss was just the fourth in the past 18 games for the Dodgers – a stretch that has seen the offense come to life. But the foundation has been consistently excellent starting pitching.
Over those 18 games, Dodgers starters (including Will Klein as an ‘opener’ in a bullpen game) have an ERA of 2.29 and a WHIP of 0.96. They’ve gone six innings or more 11 times, including Sheehan on Monday, and allowed one run or none 11 times.
Sheehan seemed headed to another one of those. He retired 16 of the first 17 batters he faced Monday night, giving up a one-out double to Corbin Carroll in the first inning then retiring the next 15 in order.
The Dodgers’ offense didn’t give him any margin for error, though.
They put runners at the corners with one out in the second inning against Eduardo Rodriguez. But Mookie Betts was out at home, trying to score on Max Muncy’s ground ball to first and the rally fizzled.
Read more Serena Williams is returning to pro tennis at age 44
An inning later, Shohei Ohtani led off with a double but could only go to third when Andy Pages followed with a bloop double of his own. Ohtani scored on Freddie Freeman’s ground out.
But that was all the Dodgers could put on the board for Sheehan whose fastball continued to show the regained velocity of his previous start.
The Diamondbacks put the ball in the air against Sheehan. Ten of those first 15 outs came without the ball touching the ground. The fly balls started going farther when Sheehan left a fastball up to Diamondbacks No. 9 hitter Tommy Troy in the sixth inning. Troy lined it into the left field seats to tie the score.
An inning later, Arenado jumped on a first-pitch slider and sent it on a similar journey. The Diamondbacks pulled away on a two-run home run by Ketel Marte off Jack Dreyer in the eighth.
Half of the Dodgers’ six hits in the game came from Ohtani, who has gone 25 for 61 (.410) with eight multi-hit games in 16 games since he was given the day off following his pitching start against the San Francisco Giants on May 13.
Read more Dodgers’ Andy Pages having ‘overlooked’ All-Star-worthy season
More to come on this story.