Dodgers bombed by Brewers in Milwaukee opener

The Dodgers couldn’t carry over their San Diego success into Milwaukee, with Joey Wiemer and Willy Adames each hitting three-run home runs in the Brewers’ 9-3 blowout win in Monday night’s series opener.

Believe it or not, this game was scoreless into the fifth inning.

Ideally, Tony Gonsolin would have had three minor league rehab starts to fully build up after essentially restarting his spring training with a sprained left ankle. But given the disarray of the rotation depth chart a few weeks back, Gonsolin’s final two build-up starts just happened to come in the majors.

He wasn’t bad by any means, allowing three runs in eight innings in his first two starts of the year. But he also didn’t have much beyond three innings in either start.

He was much sharper and with much more staying power on Monday, striking out six batters, walking none, and throwing 68 percent of his 80 pitches for strikes. Gonsolin made very few mistakes, but the Brewers pounced when he did.

The blip came in the fifth, after Michael Busch booted a ball at third base to open the frame. Gonsolin got the next two outs, then allowed another single to put two on before leaving a splitter over the middle of the plate to Weimer, who launched a ball into the left field seats for the first three runs of the game.

Gonsolin came back to finish six innings, his first start that long since last August 17.

In addition to the three-run home run, Wiemer doubled home a run and scored in the seventh, when the Brewers scored six more runs against relievers Phil Bickford and Wander Suero.

The Dodgers offense didn’t do much against Freddy Peralta, touching the Brewers starter for only one run on three hits in his six innings. Los Angeles got to the bullpen in the ninth, with Chris Taylor hitting a two-run pinch-hit home run off Bennett Sousa.

Taylor in his last seven games is 9-for-21 (.429) with two home runs, three doubles, and a triple.

The sluggish night for the Dodgers continued a pattern in the early going for teams that travel to play Monday after an ESPN ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ game. Five Sunday night teams traveled to play elsewhere the next day so far this season, and four have lost. Only the Rangers, who played in Houston on April 16 then beat the Royals in Kansas City on April 17, bucked the trend.

The only week thus far without such a game was after April 23, when the Mets played the Giants in San Francisco. The Giants remained at home to play the next night, while the Mets had a travel day before their next game.

The traveling teams on Monday after a Sunday night game were outscored 35-12 in five games.

Adding to that effect for this series opener was that the Dodgers didn’t get into Milwaukee until the wee hours of Monday morning. Dave Roberts told reporters before the game that he canceled batting practice but thinks the real hangover effect might come Tuesday night in the second game of the series.

“I really believe that tomorrow we’re going to try to ramp up the intensity, because it seems like the second day is when it affects you most,” said Roberts, per SportsNet LA.

Monday particulars

Home runs: Chris Taylor (7); Joey Wiemer (3), Willy Adames (7)

WP — Freddy Peralta (4-2): 6 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts

LP — Tony Gonsolin (0-1): 6 IP, 3 hits, 3 unearned runs, 6 strikeouts

Up next

Noah Syndergaard takes the mound Tuesday night (4:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA) on eight days rest after a reset to try and turn things around after a 6.32 ERA in his first six starts. Eric Lauer starts for the Brewers, the first of three consecutive left-handed starters the Dodgers will face this week.