Dodgers 14, Diamondbacks 1
PHOENIX, May 26 — The Los Angeles Dodgers smacked 24 hits en route to a 14–1 blowout victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday night. This hit output tied the Diamondbacks franchise record for most hits allowed, set September 2, 2002, against the Dodgers in a 19–1 loss. That game was famous for then-Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Grace pitching and imitating current Diamondbacks bullpen coach Mike Fetters’ pre-pitch headsnap to get the catcher’s signals.
The Dodgers took a 6–0 lead after a two-run first and four-run second off Diamondbacks starting pitcher Humberto Castellanos. Right fielder Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman, who finished the game 4-for-5, opened the game with back-to-back doubles for a quick 1–0 lead. Two batters later, catcher Will Smith singled Freeman home. Dodgers starting pitcher Mitch White pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, an ever-important shutdown inning that kept the score at 2–0.
In the top of the second, the Dodgers batted around. Center fielder Cody Bellinger led off with a single and scored from first on a double to the left-field corner by left fielder Chris Taylor. Two batters later, Betts walked, putting two on for Freeman, whose line-drive homer to right made the score 6–0.
Dodgers Pad Lead over Diamondbacks
The score remained 6–0 until the top of the sixth. Diamondbacks reliever Luis Frias, who took over in the fifth, surrendered five consecutive hits to open the inning. Betts singled and scored on a double by Freeman. After Freeman advanced to third on a wild pitch, he scored on a triple to right by speedy shortstop Trea Turner. Smith singled Turner home, making the score 9–0, before advancing to second on a single by designated hitter Edwin Rios. Justin Turner followed with a 6–4–3 double-play groundout, advancing Smith to third. Bellinger ripped a ground-rule double into the pool area, scoring Smith, before Taylor flied to right and ended the frame. Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker cracked a solo home run in the bottom half, preventing the shutout. It was his 12th, tied with Betts and Colorado Rockies first baseman C.J. Cron for the NL lead.
The Dodgers tacked on two more runs in the eighth and another two in the ninth to finalize the score. In the eighth, Justin Turner doubled and later scored on a two-run homer by Taylor. The ninth inning runs came off Diamondbacks infielder Jake Hager, who position-pitched for the first time in his career. Three consecutive one-out hits did the damage — a single by Rios, double by Justin Turner, and two-run single by Bellinger. Dodgers infielder Hanser Alberto position-pitched in the ninth for the second time this season and fourth time of his career to close out the lopsided victory.
Postgame Reflections
Manager Torey Lovullo bluntly summed up the game. “That wasn’t anything we were looking for. We just didn’t execute on a lot of different levels and in a lot of different key situations. On the mound, we weren’t attacking the zone, weren’t attacking the right spots. And when you make mistakes to big league hitters, they’re gonna make you pay for it.”
Lovullo added that Castellanos “couldn’t get into a rhythm” early on. Furthermore, Lovullo said, “every time he made a mistake, he paid for it.” Lovullo also commended Caleb Smith for coming into the game and pitching an inning and a third before Hager made his appearance. “It wasn’t typically a game (Caleb Smith) should be in, but he went out there and gave us an inning and a third…. Kudos to what Caleb did for this team.”
This was the most lopsided Diamondbacks loss since the 22–1 shellacking at Dodger Stadium on July 10, 2021. Lovullo said this game felt different than the 2021 blowout at Dodger Stadium, however. “I think this team does a good job of refocusing,” Lovullo explained. “We do things in a very uncommon way here and we group it all up in seven times. In our period of time that we’re together and given our absolute best and then I ask these guys at some point to digest it and come out and be ready to go tomorrow so yeah, this is a different ballclub totally different ballclub than last year.”
Looking Ahead
Justin Bruihl (1–1) earned the win in relief of Dodgers starter Mitch White, who did not go the requisite five innings to get a win, while Castellanos (3–2) took the loss for the Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks and Dodgers will play the second game of their four-game series Friday. Dodgers right-hander Ryan Pepiot (0–0, 3.86 ERA) will face Diamondbacks lefty Madison Bumgarner (2–2, 2.76 ERA). First pitch will be at 6:40 pm Arizona Time.
From Twitter:
Humberto Castellanos finds himself with an early 2-0 deficit against the Dodgers. #Dbacks pic.twitter.com/spPpWD9UX3
— PHNX Diamondbacks (@PHNX_Dbacks) May 27, 2022
Players/Managers Mentioned:
Mark Grace, Mike Fetters, Humberto Castellanos, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Mitch White, Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor, Luis Frias, Trea Turner, Edwin Rios. Justin Turner, Christian Walker, C.J. Cron, Jake Hager, Hanser Alberto, Torey Lovullo, Caleb Smith, Justin Bruihl, Ryan Pepiot, Madison Bumgarner
