Dodgers shut out Diamondbacks to cap 5-1 road trip

Bobby Miller pitched into the seventh inning for the first time, and the Dodgers bought themselves enough time to finally pounce in the eighth inning. David Peralta’s two-run single provided the only runs in the Dodgers’ 2-0 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Merrill Kelly matched Miller pitch for pitch, but the Diamondbacks' bullpen blinked first, and that ended up being enough, as the Dodger pen delivered three scoreless with Joe Kelly, Caleb Ferguson, and Evan Phillips.

Both starters combined for twelve scoreless in this matchup, enjoying elite work in crucial situations, as those innings without a single run came as each arm allowed eight base runners in their outing, but ultimately saw each of them stranded.

Kelly and Miller each came out for the seventh inning, but neither recorded an out, as Kelly had a right leg cramp, while Miller allowed a single and walk to his two batters faced.

Kyle Nelson came in with two outs on the frame, to face Freddie Freeman, and the NL MVP candidate smashed his 42nd double on the season. Subsequently, he intentionally walked Will Smith, to face another lefty in Max Muncy, who he also walked.

With the bags full, David Peralta found just the right spot for a softly-hit single to drive in two, providing the margin for the Dodgers’ sweep of this short two-game series.

The Dodgers had their best run-scoring chance against Kelly in the fourth, but failed to capitalize. Mookie Betts led off the frame with a groundout, after Kelly faced the minimum across the first three frames. However, the following three hitters reached base, with Freddie Freeman and Will Smith hitting back-to-back singles, before a Max Muncy walk.

Facing his first of multiple bases-loaded opportunities in this game, Peralta grounded into a double play, ending the inning without any runs across.

In the bottom of the frame, the D-Backs had a scoring chance of their own, with two on and one out. But in a similar fashion, following a strikeout, Alek Thomas ended the opportunity with a groundout of his own.

Defensive play of the game

=Miller ran into some trouble in the seventh inning, allowing the first two to reach, and thus forcing Dave Roberts to call on Caleb Ferguson, who ended up making a heck of a play.

Facing Geraldo Perdomo, the D-Backs’ ninth hole hitter, Ferguson was prepared for a bunt and ended up diving to make the catch on it, and throwing it back to second, to secure a double play.

Wednesday particulars

Home runs: none

WP — Caleb Ferguson (6-3): 1 IP, zeroes

LP — Kyle Nelson (5-3): 0 IP, 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks

SV: Evan Phillips (16): 1 IP, zeroes

Up next

Clayton Kershaw returns from the injured list on Thursday (7:10 p.m.; SportsNet LA, MLB Network), as the Dodgers open a 10-game homestand against the Rockies. It’s Kershaw’s first start in 44 days, facing Colorado southpaw Ty Blach.