Jeff Birney
Jansen Gives Up Back to Back HRs in Loss to Cards
The mid and late inning rallies proved all for naught as the Dodgers dropped the 1st game of series against the Cardinals.
The entire pace of Monday night’s game seemed off, with starter Alex Wood getting into trouble early as Jose Martinez homered in the first to get St. Louis up 1-0. The Dodgers then squandered a bases-loaded, 0 out bottom of the first as Cody Bellinger popped out on the infield followed by a Matt Kemp line-out that turned a double play.
Throughout the game the Dodgers went 2-13 with RISP, stranding a total of 14 total.
Wood faltered in the fifth, which lasted nearly 40 minutes, giving up a double to Matt Carpenter who followed up to score on a Jose Martinez single. Wood then balked to move Martinez to 3rd. Wood gave up a walk and was then pulled by manager Dave Roberts.
J.T. Chargois came in for Wood but faced just one batter (walked) and left due to an unknown injury. With bases loaded and no-one out, Pedro Baez took the mound.
Despite walking in a run, Baez gave a respectable performance in limiting the damage to finish the inning.
The Dodgers offense woke up in the bottom of the fifth as Manny Machado drove in Brian Dozier to score followed by a sac-fly from Cody Bellinger that scored Justin Turner. Max Muncy singled in the seventh to get Bellinger across the plate to even up the game, 3-3.
Yet Kenley Jansen, in his first appearance following a DL stint due to an irregular heartbeat, floundered. Giving up back-to-back HRs in the top of the ninth that the Dodgers couldn’t get back.
The Dodgers lost, 5-3 and are now 2.5 games out of first.
L.A. faces the Cards again tonight, game time is 7:10 pm, PST.
Also, check out the updated post https://www.dodgersbeat.com/blog/your-recap-writer-is-back/ for a pic from my meet up with Chase Utley!
