Two swings of the bat against Aaron Harang sealed the fate of the Dodgers on Monday night, as the Arizona Diamondbacks captured the opening game of the three-game series with a 7-2 win at Dodger Stadium.
Harang's worst start of the season helped end the Dodgers' three-game winning streak
In the first inning, Gerardo Parra and Aaron Hill each singled to open the game for Arizona. One out later, Paul Goldschmidt destroyed a ball that landed over the center field wall for a 3-0 Arizona lead. Justin Upton followed with a ball hit seemingly twice as hard, but it managed to die on the warning track.
Harang got into more trouble in the second and the third innings, but got out of them unscathed, thanks in part to a double play with the bases loaded by new Diamondbacks third baseman Chris Johnson to end the third.
Unfortunately for Harang, Johnson was not the escape valve in the fifth inning. After intentionally walking the left-handed Miguel Montero to load the bases, Johnson hit a ball into the hedges in the back of the Dodgers bullpen for a grand slam and a 7-0 lead.
Harang became the first Dodger to allow two home runs of three runs or more in the same game since Clayton Kershaw on August 6, 2010 (both hit by Adam Dunn of the Washington Nationals). Before Harang, the last Dodger to allow a grand slam and another home run of at least three runs or more in the same game was Chan Ho Park on April 23, 1999. That was the game that Park allowed a pair of grand slams in the same inning, to the same player (Fernando Tatis of the St. Louis Cardinals).
The Dodgers put their put their own first two runners on in the bottom of the first, but Matt Kemp struck out and Andre Ethier grounded into a double play to squash the threat. The Dodgers had a similar rally in the third inning with two runners on and one out, but Juan Rivera grounded into another double play to end the inning.
The Dodgers got on the board in the sixth inning, on a pair of singles and a Jerry Hairston Jr. RBI groundout. That was the only run off Trevor Cahill, who pitched his third quality start against the Dodgers this season. In three starts against Los Angeles this year, Cahill has a 2.50 ERA wtih seven walks and 16 strikeouts in 19 innings.
In his career, which includes one more start while with Oakland, Cahill now has a 1.85 ERA.
Old friend Takashi Saito pitched the eighth inning for Arizona, and the Dodgers added a run with back-to-back doubles by Rivera and Kemp.
Hanley Ramirez, in his first home game as a Dodger, went 0-for-4 to snap his five-game hitting and run-scoring streaks.
Tonight's Particulars
Home Runs: Paul Goldschmidt (14), Chris Johnson (9)
WP - Trevor Cahill (9-9): 6 IP, 6 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
LP - Aaron Harang (7-6): 5 IP, 9 hits, 7 runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout