Dodgers 9, Diamondbacks 2
LOS ANGELES, July 19 – It is safe to say that Cody Bellinger is ready to start the season. The center fielder went 3 for 4 with a grand slam and five RBI as his Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, 9-2, in exhibition play Sunday night.
Rough First Inning
The first inning began with a bang against Dodgers starting pitcher Mitchell White as right fielder Kole Calhoun flied to the track in deep center. The next hitter, second baseman Ketel Marte, blasted the second pitch into the right-field bleachers to give the Diamondbacks a 1-0 lead. The next two hitters – center fielder Starling Marte and third baseman Eduardo Escobar – also hit the ball hard, but they were a fly to center and an unassisted groundout to first, respectively.
The first two hitters in the bottom of the inning – right fielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Max Muncy – walked against Diamondbacks right-hander Taylor Widener. Third baseman Justin Turner, up next, ripped a liner to the mound. Widener stuck his glove up. Had he caught it, it would have been an easy triple play. However, he could only knock it down, and everyone was safe. Bellinger made that costly when he followed with a grand slam to the second row in right. When the next hitter, shortstop Corey Seager, walked, both teams agreed to pull the plug, ending the inning with the Dodgers leading, 4-1.
Pitchers Settle Down
White pitched four more innings and retired every Diamondback he faced. Widener pitched a perfect second and struck out the first batter in the third before allowing a single to Betts. Muncy doubled Betts to third before Turner lifted a sacrifice fly to center. It scored Betts and advanced Muncy to third, making the score 5-1. A follow-up single by Bellinger made it 6-1, but the Dodgers did no further damage as shortstop Corey Seager followed with a strikeout.
After a scoreless bottom of the fourth, Archie Bradley – named closer on Friday by Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo – pitched the bottom of the fifth. Two doubles – a leadoff one by Muncy and a two-out one by Seager – made the score 6-1.
Relievers Take Over
The Diamondbacks snapped their hitless streak in the top of the sixth when shortstop Nick Ahmed welcomed reliever Adam Kolarek to the game with a single. He did not advance, however. Off-season signee Junior Guerra struck out the side in relief in the bottom of the sixth.
The seventh inning saw the Diamondbacks go down in order yet again. In the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers extended their lead. A leadoff double by Betts off new pitcher Stefan Crichton turned into a run thanks to a passed ball and a one-out RBI single by substitute shortstop Chris Taylor.
In the top of the eighth, the Diamondbacks made it an 8-2 ballgame when they broke through off reliever Victor Gonzalez. Catcher Carson Kelly led off with a single and advanced to second when first baseman Jake Lamb, up next, had a pitch hit him in the hand. Shortstop Nick Ahmed followed with a rocket back up the middle, but Gonzalez gloved it. This kicked off a 1-6-3 double play that advanced Kelly to third. An RBI single by designated hitter Stephen Vogt drove him in. Three straight singles by the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth brought in the game’s final run.
The teams play again at Dodger Stadium Monday evening. First pitch will be at around 6:30 Pacific Time. Taylor Clarke is scheduled to pitch for the Diamondbacks against scheduled Dodgers starter Julio Urias.
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