MIAMI — The Dodgers needed to climate two losses on Tuesday in Miami: First, a helpful member of their lineup, after which the center sport of their collection vs. the Marlins.
The day started with proper fielder Teoscar Hernández occurring the 10-day injured record with a left groin pressure. On the finish of the evening, to cap off a back-and-forth contest, Miami’s Jesús Sánchez broke via a five-man infield to stroll off Los Angeles, 5-4, in 10 innings, establishing a rubber sport in Wednesday’s finale.
Listed here are three numbers that stood out from the Dodgers’ walk-off loss to the Marlins:
Since loanDepot park opened its doorways in 2012, Freddie Freeman has finished a complete lot of mashing within the ballpark — and towards its house crew.
“I don’t know the precise numbers,” Freeman mentioned on Monday evening, “however I assume I’ve hit just a few house runs towards them in my profession.”
That is fairly the understatement. After hitting a solo shot within the sixth inning, Freeman has 42 profession homers towards the Marlins — the most of any opposing hitter. He surpassed Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman, whom he had tied the evening earlier than.
Freeman prolonged his hitting streak to 11 video games earlier within the contest, when his RBI single off Marlins starter Cal Quantrill within the first inning bought the Dodgers on the board. He is gone 19-for-42 (.452) with 4 homers and a 1.340 OPS in that span.
“Freddie is way more enjoyable to observe if you’re on his aspect than on the opposite aspect,” mentioned Marlins supervisor Clayton McCullough, previously the Dodgers’ first-base coach.
As scorching as he is been hitting, there’s an opportunity that Freeman shall be out of the lineup in Wednesday’s finale. The Dodgers are midway via their stretch of 10 video games in as many days, and the earlier homestand marked the primary and solely time Freeman had performed six days in a row this season.
Andy Pages has wowed along with his arm earlier than, however he reached new heights within the backside of the third.
With one out and a runner on first, Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin allowed a fly ball to deep proper subject to Marlins catcher Liam Hicks. Then, Gonsolin watched as Pages leapt on the wall, caught the ball and fired a dart to first base to double off Dane Myers and finish the inning.
The throw registered at 98.5 mph, in response to Statcast, Pages’ hardest-tracked outfield help as an enormous leaguer.
“That was candy,” Gonsolin mentioned. “He bought to that ball. I appeared up and it mentioned 91 [mph] off the bat and I believed, ‘That may’t be a homer.’ However Andy going up towards the wall and grabbing it, throwing a very good throw to first and getting that double play was enormous.”
Pages has already made a number of highlight-reel catches this season, together with a number of potential house run robberies. The 24-year-old may see extra time in proper subject — the place he grades out higher than in middle, the place at which he is gotten the majority of his taking part in time — whereas Hernández is sidelined.
157 innings … and counting
The Dodgers’ bullpen, which has shouldered the heaviest workload within the Majors this season, reached 157 innings after the walk-off loss. L.A. relievers have coated practically 10 extra innings than the next-closest membership (Miami, 148 2/3).
4 pitchers — Kirby Yates, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and Luis García — have appeared in no less than half of the crew’s first 36 video games. García gave up a result in Miami within the sixth earlier than J.P. Feyereisen, the freshest arm out there, allowed the walk-off knock within the tenth.
“We had just a few guys that have been down,” supervisor Dave Roberts mentioned. “And in order that’s sort of the price of … utilizing your ‘pen and starters that have not gone as deep, or [whose] pitch counts go up and you may’t get into the sixth, seventh inning. That is simply sort of the price of it.”
With 5 days remaining earlier than the Dodgers’ subsequent off-day — and solely 4 conventional beginning pitchers on the lively roster — choices are restricted. Feyereisen shall be optioned because the corresponding transfer to activate Landon Knack for Wednesday’s finale, per Roberts. The crew has not shared whether or not Knack will begin or observe an opener.
The Dodgers have been right here earlier than, however even with a way of tips on how to navigate a beleaguered ‘pen, it is a robust process to deal with within the first week of Could.
