Diamondbacks’ several comeback attempts fall short in loss to Dodgers

PHOENIX — The Arizona Diamondbacks did not let multiple four-run holes take them out of Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but each comeback attempt came up just short in a 6-5 loss at Chase Field.

Arizona trailed 4-0, 4-2 and then 6-2 before setting up opportunities to tie the game or take the lead in each of the final three innings.

The Diamondbacks stranded the tying runner on second base in the ninth, finishing the game 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

Geraldo Perdomo’s failed bunt-for-a-hit attempt on a 3-1 pitch from Dodgers reliever Tanner Scott put Pavin Smith in a tough position as the final hope in a left-on-left situation. After a seven-pitch battle, Smith bounced out.

“It’s an instinctual play, he has the right to do that,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “And in that situation if he sees that third baseman back, I’d like to see either a base hit or a foul ball. He just bunted a little too close to the pitcher. I don’t want to take anything away from a player between the white lines who sees something. We train that, we talk about that. … But you got to execute, so I have no problem with him trying to make an instinctual play.”

Arizona fell to 32-28, while Los Angeles improved to 39-22 by evening the four-game series with a Shohei Ohtani versus Zac Gallen pitching matchup on Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks picked at the Dodgers’ lead earlier, but the game’s tenor shifted after the Seventh-Inning Stretch.

The score was 6-2 after the Dodgers picked up two insurance runs off reliever Jonathan Loaisiga, and while more and more fans joined the rowdy “Tarps Off” section on the 300 level, the Diamondbacks started to rally.

Ketel Marte and Gabriel Moreno walked, and Nolan Arenado scored them with a double. Ildemaro Vargas walked, and Perdomo came off the bench to work a full count thanks to a successful ABS challenge. Perdomo singled to load the bases, and Smith walked home a run.

The comeback was nearly complete at 6-5, but Tommy Troy broke his bat bouncing into a fielder’s choice. Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman made a backhanded play and threw to second base for the out.

The D-backs put the pressure right back on in the eighth on back-to-back singles from Corbin Carroll and Moreno, but Arenado hit into a backbreaking double play to end the frame.

The D-backs were 2-for-11 at that point with runners in scoring position, an unsightly trend that has continued from their weekend series in Seattle.

Despite the frustration, Lovullo and players in the clubhouse appreciated the fight, as this became anyone’s ballgame that could have gotten too far out of reach. The Dodgers went from a 95% chance to win to a 59% chance in the bottom of the seventh inning, per Statcast, which does not matter in the end but provides some context into how close this game was to flipping.

“We fought, we did a great job making it interesting,” Arenado said. “Tough to not come out with the win, but it was a good fight.

“We feel very confident in who we are, regardless of who we’re facing. … We just couldn’t find a way to scrap a few more, but we do a good job of fighting constantly, and it’s going to pay dividends in the long run.”

Michael Soroka keeps D-backs in striking distance

Arizona starter Michael Soroka kept the D-backs in the ballgame after getting attacked early.

The Dodgers took a 4-0 lead with one out in the second inning. Freeman clubbed a two-run home run in the opening frame off his former Atlanta Braves teammate. Ohtani roped a two-run triple in the second inning after L.A. benefited from a pair of bloop singles.

From there, Soroka locked the Dodgers down, retiring 14 of his final 15 hitters. It was similar to his April start in Philadelphia, when the Phillies rocked him for four runs in the first inning before he settled in and earned a win.

“I thought I actually threw the ball pretty well today,” Soroka said. “I obviously made a mistake to Freddie early. Other than that, there wasn’t too much hard contact. … I thought I did a good job of pivoting a little bit, kind of honing in and commanding the ball a little bit better as it went on.”

To Soroka’s point, the Dodgers put three hard-hit balls in play (95-plus mph) against the right-hander after Freeman’s home run, all of which were ground balls. By the time Soroka was done, he had thrown six innings with four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts.

“We know when we go out there and give up a couple early, it’s our job to keep the team in the game and keep them close,” Soroka said.

The Diamondbacks cut the early deficit in half after a Carroll solo home run in the third inning that bounced off the top of the left-field wall and a Marte sacrifice fly in the fifth. It was Carroll’s first home run since May 17 in Colorado.

Tuesday’s attendance at Chase Field

32,829

“I love the Tarps Off,” Lovullo said. “I saw that thing building. It was pretty exciting. And I just want to say thanks to them again. They bring a ton of energy.”

Diamondbacks vs. Shohei Ohtani

The D-backs will face Ohtani as a pitcher for the first time this season on Wednesday. Ohtani is making an early Cy Young award case with an 0.82 ERA in 55 innings of work. He has not allowed an earned run in five of his nine starts.

The D-backs will roll with Gallen, who has made 16 regular-season starts against the Dodgers with a 4.13 ERA. Gallen is looking to bounce back after he allowed five runs in five innings on Friday in Seattle.

The game will start at 6:40 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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