D-backs miss out on four-game sweep of Dodgers in extra innings

PHOENIX – The Arizona Diamondbacks were on the verge of completing their first four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in franchise history, but Cody Bellinger and Joc Pederson came up big late and led their team to a 4-3 extra innings win at Chase Field on Sunday.

Eduardo Escobar was 2-5 with a run scored while Jake Lamb was 1-3 with two RBI to lead the way offensively.

Rookie left-handed pitcher Alex Young made his 12th start of the year for Arizona. He came into this game following two consecutive wins with a 3.81 ERA.

Now, stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the Dodgers took an early lead behind their home run power. In the first inning, returning veteran David Freese immediately impacted the game with a solo home run off Young.

The Dodgers then added to the lead with another solo home run in the third inning off the bat of Russell Martin, his first home run at Chase Field since May 11, 2010.

Young had a short outing with the expanded roster and the help in the bullpen. The rookie went 4.1 innings and allowed five hits and two earned runs, struck out five, and issued no walks. The D-backs extend their franchise record for starts by rookie pitchers to 60.

The D-backs’ offense waited in the shadows yet again until the conditions were right. Namely, a multi-run deficit in the fourth inning or beyond.

After following up their only hits by grounding into double plays in the first three innings, the D-backs got rolling behind a one-out single by Tim Locastro who beat out a throw from second baseman Jedd Gyorko.

After two more singles by Ketel Marte and Escobar loaded the bases, there was a scary moment when Jake Lamb hit a line drive at Dodgers pitcher Dustin May that struck him in the head. May was able to walk off under his own power and was reevaluated after he was removed from the game.

“I hit the ball, hit it pretty hard, right back at him, and, in that moment, I saw it hit him,” said Lamb after the game on the line drive that hit May. “But anytime someone goes down to the ground like that, I don’t care who you’re playing, we’re not in this to hurt people and I wish nothing but the best for that guy. Hopefully he’s alright.”

The two-RBI single from Lamb scored Locastro and Marte. This tied the game for rookie Josh Rojas, who put the D-backs ahead with an RBI single of his own that scored Escobar. The D-backs scored five singles in the inning and plated three runs.

The D-backs’ slow start offensively seems to be part of their DNA in this series as they did not score a run in the first three innings of any of the four games. In fact, they have scored 20 runs in this series in innings 4-6.

Lovullo utilized his extended bullpen to hold the lead to the ninth inning as the offense was unable to get another base runner after the fourth inning. But in the top of the ninth, Andrew Chafin made a mistake to Bellinger, who tied the game with another Dodgers solo home run.

In extra innings, the D-backs finally got a base runner when Nick Ahmed doubled in the bottom of the tenth with one out, but they were unable to plate their only runner in scoring position outside of the fourth inning.

In the top of the eleventh, the Dodgers sent pinch hitter Pederson to the dish against Taylor Clarke and Pederson won the battle, hitting the Dodgers fourth solo home run to put them ahead for good.

The Dodgers set a new franchise record for home runs in a season in this game with 238, eclipsing last season’s mark of 235.

UP NEXT

The D-backs will move on from this successful series against a division rival and right into another one when Cal Quantrill and the San Diego Padres come to town on Labor Day. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. with pregame coverage beginning 40 minutes earlier on 98.7 FM, Arizona’s Sports Station.

Mike Leake will be on the bump for Arizona after making a quality start in his last appearance against the San Francisco Giants, allowing only two runs and four hits in 7.1 innings pitched. Leake has only issued seven walks in his last 84 innings pitched.