PHOENIX — This could be a painful loss in more ways than one for the Dodgers.
Justin Wrobleski held the Arizona Diamondbacks scoreless for six innings. But the bullpen let a two-run lead get away in the eighth inning and lost when Tanner Scott gave up a walk-off home run to Ketel Marte in the ninth. The 3-2 loss was just the Dodgers’ third in their past 12 games.
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But this one might leave a mark.
Third baseman Max Muncy left the game in the fifth inning after a violent collision at first base with Diamondbacks first baseman Ildemaro Vargas.
Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson didn’t give up a hit until the fifth inning, facing the minimum 12 batters through four thanks to a double play after his walk of Will Smith in the second inning.
Kyle Tucker broke up Nelson’s no-hit run with a leadoff single in the fifth – but he was also erased in a double play.
Muncy followed by bouncing a ball down the first base line. Vargas fielded it up the line and raced Muncy to the base. Muncy arrived first but neither gave way and they collided violently.
Both went flying, landing hard on the ground and staying there for awhile before both slowly left the field, escorted by trainers from either team.
The initial report was that Muncy was experiencing shortness of breath and was being evaluated for a concussion.
He was replaced by pinch-runner Santago Espinal, who scored from first when Corbin Carroll misplayed Ryan Ward’s line drive in the gap. Carroll raced over then watched the ball carry over his head for a double. Dalton Rushing’s fly ball also found grass in shallow left-center field, landing in no-man’s land for an RBI single when neither center fielder Ryan Waldschmidt nor left fielder Tommy Troy could get there in time.
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That two-run product of both good and bad fortune was enough for Wrobleski.
He stranded runners in four of his six innings, holding the Diamondbacks hitless with runners in scoring position.
His most precarious situation came in the sixth inning. After retiring the first two batters, he gave up a single to Nolan Arenado and then a drive to the wall in left-center by Ryan Waldschmidt. Diamondbacks third-base coach J.R. House stopped Arenado at third base.
Wrobleski got ahead of the next hitter, Pavin Smith, 0-and-2 thanks to two successful ABS challenges and Smith grounded out to end the inning.
Once again showing increased velocity on his fastball (it averaged 95.4 mph on Thursday), Wrobleski has rebounded from a three-start stretch when he allowed 14 runs and has allowed just one run on seven hits in 13 innings over his past two. Thursday was the seventh time in his 10 starts that he allowed one or no runs.
But the Dodgers’ bullpen gave up the lead in the eighth inning. Corbin Carroll led off the inning with a home run off Will Klein – the first home run Klein has allowed in his 49 major-league innings. Klein walked the next batter and gave up a single to put two runners on with one out. Alex Vesia came in and got the second out but then gave up a game-tying RBI single to Geraldo Perdomo.
Scott came on in the bottom of the ninth and struck out rookie Ryan Waldschmidt, but Marte crushed a first-pitch fastball, hitting it 113 mph off the bat and 431 feet into the left-field seats.
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More to come on this story.
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