Dodgers limp home after loss in Philly ends another losing trip
PHILADELPHIA — The Dodgers headed back to the comforts of home Sunday night. And they could use some comforting.
Taijuan Walker and four relievers held the Dodgers to five hits as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Dodgers 7-3, handing them their sixth loss in their past eight games away from Los Angeles.
The Dodgers went 2-4 on this trip to Cincinnati and Philadelphia after going 4-6 on an 11-day caravan through St. Louis, Atlanta and Tampa Bay on their previous trip. They have lost four of their past five road series and overall have a losing record away from home this season (17-19).
The pitching has been the Dodgers’ biggest pothole on the road. While the Dodgers’ ERA at Dodger Stadium (3.13) is the lowest home ERA in baseball, their ERA on the road is 5.70. Only the historically bad Oakland Athletics are worse — a home-road disparity that the Dodgers’ front office is “digging into,” looking for explanations.
Sunday’s bullpen game effort didn’t narrow the splits, although the bucket brigade of eight relievers was victimized by three softly hit singles as the Phillies built their lead.
Caleb Ferguson gave up the first run on three consecutive singles in the first inning, the last a bloop down the left field line that left Bryce Harper’s bat at 71.1 mph.
In the third inning, Tayler Scott gave up a leadoff double to Trea Turner, intentionally walked Harper then watched them pull off a successful double steal. That set them up to score on a two-out flare by Bryson Stott off lefty reliever Adam Kolarek. Stott’s 76.8 mph single dropped between David Peralta and Jason Heyward to drive in the two runs.
Garrett Stubbs went even softer. He drove in the Phillies’ fourth run with a bunt single in the sixth inning.
The Phillies finally took the hard-hit route in the seventh inning against rookie right-hander Nick Robertson, roughing him up for three runs on five hits including a two-run home run by Nick Castellanos and a triple by Stott.
By contrast, the Dodgers were not rewarded for their best efforts against Walker who came into the game with a 5.25 ERA in 12 previous starts against the Dodgers. His center fielder, Brandon Marsh, ran down drives by Freddie Freeman (102 mph off the bat) and Max Muncy (104.8).
The Dodgers did get solo home runs by Freeman in the sixth and Heyward in the seventh and pushed across a run in the eighth against Jose Alvarado.
More to come on this story.