Diamondbacks crush Dodgers, as Eduardo Rodriguez caps outstanding 1st half fittingly

LOS ANGELES — Arizona Diamondbacks starter Eduardo Rodriguez began his final start of the first half of the season by giving up back-to-back home runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, but he went on lockdown mode from that point on in a 9-3 road win.

Rodriguez shut the Dodgers down after blasts from Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages, earning a fifth straight quality start before he heads to Philadelphia for his first All-Star Game.

After six innings of two-run ball, Rodriguez’s ERA settled at 2.29 heading into the break. The lefty has allowed three runs in 17 innings over three starts against the Dodgers this season.

Unlike his last start against the Milwaukee Brewers, Rodriguez had the chance to pitch with a lead for much of his outing, as the Diamondbacks plated two runs each in the first, fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

They took advantage of a sloppy Dodgers performance that featured three errors and a run scored off a wild pitch.

First baseman Tim Tawa was the offensive standout from the ninth spot in the order, clubbing three hits, including a go-ahead, two-run home run. Tawa drove in four runs, and catcher Gabriel Moreno batted in another two.

With Pavin Smith having been designated for assignment, first base reps are up for grabs, and Tawa made a case to stay in the lineup as the king of the court, in manager Torey Lovullo’s terms.

The Diamondbacks also took advantage of a Dodgers bullpen game, as Los Angeles scratched Ohtani from his pitching appearance due to knee troubles. The Dodgers used seven pitchers and the D-backs scored on five of them, whether it was their fault or not. Kyle Hurt started the game for L.A. (61-34).

“Executing in terms of situational hitting and even driving the ball a little bit, too, it was definitely nice to see that,” Tawa said. “It wasn’t just one inning of five or six runs, it was two and two. It was not just a short spurt, it was continuous, so that was good and I’m looking forward to building off that.”

With a second straight win, the Diamondbacks returned to .500 at 47-47. They have two more games at Chavez Ravine before the All-Star break.

It was not a perfect evening for Arizona, however, as outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt left the game after getting hit on the thumb while attempting to bunt during the sixth inning. His X-rays came back negative, a relief for the rookie.

Eduardo Rodriguez looking forward to All-Star experience

Rodriguez was not fazed by the two home runs he allowed early.

The pitch to Ohtani was a sinker down-and-in that Ohtani somehow crushed the other way. Rodriguez felt that he threw the wrong pitch to Pages, but he lost no confidence in that moment. Not with the way he’s been able to cruise through innings this year.

He came back and struck out Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker to get himself out of the first. The next time he faced Ohtani, he struck out the superstar with a fastball up-and-in. Pages gave Rodriguez trouble with three hits, but the left-hander won his battles with Freeman (0-for-3), who entered the game hitting .500 in his career off Rodriguez.

“The pitch by Ohtani was good … he’s just a really good hitter and he hit it out,” Rodriguez said. “I take the emotion out, I was throwing the pitch right where I wanted it and that’s what I kept doing the rest of the game.”

Manager Torey Lovullo said he capped Rodriguez at 87 pitches in part due to the upcoming All-Star Game. Rodriguez would pitch an inning on only three days of rest, so having him go 100 pitches or more when it was not needed would be a counterproductive idea.

Rodriguez said he’s looking forward to the whole experience, understanding this could be a unique opportunity in his career.

“I feel like I’m going to do everything that they have on the schedule because that’s my first time,” Rodriguez said. “And I don’t know if I’m going to go again, but if that’s my only one, I’m just going to enjoy everything that I do over there.”

Brandyn Garcia, Jonathan Loaisiga and Drey Jameson finished the game, with Garcia striking out Ohtani to end his 1-2-3 inning. He and Loaisiga combined for two perfect frames and four strikeouts as two of the hottest arms in the bullpen.

Saturday starters

Brandon Pfaadt (2–1, 4.84 ERA) will pitch for the Diamondbacks on Saturday, while All-Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for Los Angeles (9–5, 2.49 ERA). 

The game will start at 6:10 p.m. MST on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app. 

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