Dodgers dropped in Baltimore, 7-3

One day after clinching the National League Western Division title for the seventh consecutive season, the Los Angeles Dodgers offense and bullpen barely showed up and they dropped their “hangover game” 7-3 to the Baltimore Orioles in Camden Yards.

Orioles starter John Means ripped through the Dodgers lineup for the first five innings on 59 pitches, facing only two batters over the minimum, but Austin Barnes led off the sixth with a double to left field and A.J. Pollock followed with a two-run, 429-foot blast to center field on a full count to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead.

However, in the bottom of the inning, Joe Kelly coughed up a run on a lead-off walk, a wild pitch and a single to right field to knot the game up at 2 runs apiece.

That tie did not last long as Jonathan Villar hit a record-setting, three-run homer after a lead-off walk and a single, all courtesy of Caleb Ferguson.

Ross Stripling, in a planned abbreviated start, pitched three efficient innings (37 pitches), allowing a run on back-to-back doubles by Trey Mancini and Dwight Smith, Jr. to start the second inning. The run was the first allowed by the right-hander in his eight innings since returning from the injured list. He also struck out two batters.

As scripted, “second starter” Dustin May took over in the fourth inning and recorded two scoreless innings.

But the rest of the bullpen combined to allow six runs (one unearned) in three innings to allow Baltimore to run away with the win.

Matt Beaty contributed a pinch-hit RBI single in the ninth to round out the scoring.

Wednesday particulars

WP: Shawn Armstrong (1-1), 1 ⅔ IP, 1 H, 1 K

LP: Ferguson (1-2), ¹⁄₃ IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 HR

Save: None

Home runs: Pollock (14), Villar (21), Pedro Severino (12)

Box score

Up next

The Dodgers look to take two out of three games in the finale of the series. Game three is scheduled to start at 4:15 p.m. PT.