Jaime Garcia has his way with Dodgers

So far this homestand hasn’t gone quite like the Dodgers planned. Jaime Garcia, who was rumored to be nearly traded on Thursday night, stayed with Atlanta at least as long enough to torment the Dodgers in a 12-3 Braves romp on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Garcia not only pitched well in his seven innings innings, allowing three run with four strikeouts. Two of those runs came in the seventh, when the Dodgers were behind by double digits.

The Braves left-hander also hit an 0-2 pitch against Alex Wood over the right center field wall for a grand slam in the fifth inning, all but ending the competitive phase of Friday’s contest.

It was the first grand slam hit by a pitcher against the Dodgers since Jeff Juden took John Cummings deep on Aug. 25, 1995. That was a road game, in Philadelphia, but the last pitcher to hit a grand slam at Dodger Stadium was Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, who took Fernando Valenzuela deep on May 16, 1984.

The 0-2 count for Garcia’s slam made it even more rare:

It is not out of the realm of possibility that, if the rumored Garcia trade to the Twins goes through soon, that Garcia could also make his next start at Dodger Stadium, too. Minnesota comes to town next Monday through Wednesday.

Alex Wood was on the business end of a blowout for the first time all season. Garcia’s slam ended Wood’s night with two outs in the fifth inning, with nine runs (seven earned) against his ledger, handing Wood his first loss of the season.

But that wasn’t the only first for Wood on Friday:

• He allowed a home run to Freddie Freeman earlier in the fifth inning, the first home run Wood allowed at home this season.
• The Freeman home run was also the first Wood allowed this year to a lefty. Garcia’s was the second.
• Wood also dropped his first two-run pop up, a play that had the infielders baffled. Garcia was the batter for that, too.

Friday marked the first time the Dodgers have lost consecutive games since June 4-6, which if anything should serve as a reminder of just how incredible those 35 games in between were.

Up next

Rich Hill starts Saturday for the Dodgers, an earlier start at 6:10 p.m. PT. Julio Teheran starts for Atlanta.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Freddie Freeman (18), Jaime Garcia (1), Tyler Flowers (8)

WP - Jaime Garcia (4-7): 7 IP, 7 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

LP - Alex Wood (11-1): 4⅔ IP, 9 hits, 9 runs (7 earned), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts