True Blue LA - April 14: Diamondbacks 9, Dodgers 1Where The Dodger Dogs Are Always Grilledhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49563/truebluela_fav.png2018-04-14T21:21:58-07:00http://www.truebluela.com/rss/stream/170055072018-04-14T21:21:58-07:002018-04-14T21:21:58-07:00A mirage at Dodger Stadium
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<img alt="Arizona Diamondbacks v Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iorsQCOz620Eex9Ot-xM5tXK-bw=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59394829/946377876.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>3 straight losses for LA</p> <p id="dKS3Mc">Saturday night at Dodger Stadium provided a glimpse of a series of mirages. There was a stolen base that wasn’t, a home run that wasn’t, and a good baseball team that is playing nothing like it at the moment. The <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> were on the wrong end of yet another game with the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a>, falling 9-1 to continue an atrocious start to their 2018 season.</p>
<p id="Y4ZDPW">The Dodgers lost their third straight overall and their 11th consecutive regular season defeat at the hands of Arizona. The loss on Saturday also assured that the Dodgers will be without a series win in their first five series of the year.</p>
<p id="rp4B7A">A bizarre caught stealing of <span>Chris Taylor</span> in the first inning — when Taylor inexplicably pulled up as he approached second base after a tremendous jump, as if he thought the ball was dead. That neutered what could have been <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/14/17238026/dodgers-notes-diamondbacks-preview-rich-hill-taijuan-walker">another scoring first inning</a> for the Dodgers against <span>Taijuan Walker</span>.</p>
<p id="zvp8m9">The Dodgers got to Walker in the second, during which the pitcher from Yucaipa was visited by trainers but remained in the game to finish the frame, after allowing a run on a pair of hits.</p>
<p id="cqBwSY">Walker left after the second inning with right forearm tightness, but the Dodgers were held at bay with four scoreless frames by reliever <span>T.J. McFarland</span>, who picked up the win.</p>
<p id="8ifY8z">That 1-0 lead for the Dodgers evaporated quickly, with <span>Rich Hill</span> issuing a two-out walk in the third followed by a game-tying double by <span>Ketel Marte</span> then a two-run mammoth shot by <span>Paul Goldschmidt</span>, into the Loge level down the left field line.</p>
<p id="PTyPei"><span>Deven Marrero</span> hit what appeared to be a three-run home run in the fourth. It went over the fence and everything, without dispute. But with <span>Alex Avila</span> waiting at first base to make sure, <span>Marrero</span> passed him on the bases and, upon appeal, was ruled out.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is Deven Marrero passing Alex Avila as he rounds first base. <a href="https://t.co/N712vPJQyC">pic.twitter.com/N712vPJQyC</a></p>— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickpiecoro/status/985348444913987584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2018</a>
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<p id="lgIDT9">Instead of a three-run home run, Marrero by rule got a two-run single. In the end it didn’t really matter in the competitive aspect of Saturday’s game, with the Dodgers starting rotation throwing up a third consecutive dud.</p>
<p id="qt3aDn">Hill allowed seven runs on seven hits in his five innings, including two home runs, and given the actual results really allowed eight runs and three home runs. It was not good, just like <span>Kenta Maeda</span> wasn’t good on Friday night and <span>Alex Wood</span> wasn’t good on Wednesday night.</p>
<p id="yukIp1">After posting a 2.03 ERA through the first 10 games of the season, Dodgers starting pitchers have allowed 19 runs (16 earned) on 19 hits in just 11⅓ innings over the last three games, all losses. That’s a 12.71 ERA, in case you were wondering.</p>
<p id="IkArm3">To pile on, third baseman <span>Logan Forsythe</span> left the game with right shoulder discomfort in the top of the sixth inning after getting checked on by team trainer Nate Lucero. Forsythe left to get an MRI, per Dave Roberts.</p>
<p id="TUDUxL">When it rains, it pours.</p>
<p id="caiWHD">At 4-9 the Dodgers <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/tiny/Poq0M">matched their worst 13-game start since moving to Los Angeles</a>, matching 1964, 1976, 1986 and 1994.</p>
<h3 id="wrgsJe">Up next</h3>
<p id="C1BD4Y">The Dodgers send <span>Clayton Kershaw</span> to the mound in Sunday’s series finale, a 1:10 p.m. PT start. <span>Zack Godley</span> starts for Arizona.</p>
<h3 id="3GJHFx">Saturday particulars</h3>
<p id="VMqneI"><strong>Home runs</strong>: Paul Goldschmidt (3), <span>A.J. Pollock</span> 2 (3), Alex Avila (1)</p>
<p id="RM4vcR"><strong>WP - T.J. McFarland (1-0)</strong>: 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 strikeout</p>
<p id="DS99ar"><strong>LP - Rich Hill (1-1)</strong>: 5 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/14/17239014/dodgers-mirage-diamondbacks-recapEric Stephen2018-04-14T11:18:13-07:002018-04-14T11:18:13-07:00Dodgers-Diamondbacks game notes
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<img alt="MLB: San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZZ0OKPLOSw82oTVzFqDmxJYu1Vc=/0x0:4819x3213/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59391867/usa_today_10766365.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p id="byK72f">As the <a href="https://www.truebluela.com/">Dodgers</a> try to snap out of their funk on Saturday night against the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a>, here are some notes before the middle game of the series.</p>
<p id="9SPGgD"><span>Rich Hill</span> has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last 13 starts at Dodger Stadium, including the playoffs. That dates back to last July 6, and Hill in those 13 starts has a 1.98 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 24 walks in 72⅔ innings. The Dodgers are 9-4 in those starts.</p>
<p id="LtjbF3">Dodgers No. 3 hitters — <span>Yasiel Puig</span> the bulk, plus <span>Corey Seager</span> and <span>Matt Kemp</span> mixed in — are hitting .226/.263/.264 and they are one of six teams with no home runs from that spot in the batting order, along with the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Mariners</a>, <a href="https://www.crawfishboxes.com/">Astros</a>, <a href="https://www.fishstripes.com/">Marlins</a>, <a href="https://www.redreporter.com/">Reds</a> and <a href="https://www.thegoodphight.com/">Phillies</a>.</p>
<p id="tuElFX"><span>Nick Ahmed</span>, who homered on Friday in the series opener, is 4-for-9 (.444) with two walks against the Dodgers this season. Ahmed in his career has seven home runs in 32 games against the Dodgers, and 15 home runs in 280 games against every other team.</p>
<p id="o8stfG">The Dodgers have scored in the first inning against <span>Taijuan Walker</span> in each of his last four starts against them, including four runs and 48 pitches in the first inning of Game 1 of the 2017 NLDS and three runs last week in Phoenix. In his career against the Dodgers Walker has a 19.50 ERA in the first inning and 2.18 afterward.</p>
<p id="HY5aKb">The last time the Dodgers were 4-8 was 1994. Baseball canceled the World Series that year.</p>
<h3 id="72Yidy">Game info</h3>
<p id="phbZ0o">Time: 6:10 p.m. PT</p>
<p id="Ph8ZVS">TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (joined in progress at 7 p.m.)</p>
https://www.truebluela.com/2018/4/14/17238026/dodgers-notes-diamondbacks-preview-rich-hill-taijuan-walkerEric Stephen