Walks costly for Dodgers in loss to gaining Diamondbacks

LOS ANGELES >> The Dodgers found a new way to lose Tuesday.

For a team that has lost 10 of its past 11 games, it was no small feat.

In the 10th iing of a tie game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Dodgers pitcher Pedro Baez walked the first two batters he faced. Both scored when third baseman Justin Turner threw to the plate for a likely out, only to watch his throw carom off the glove of catcher Yasmani Grandal.

The fateful error capped a 3-1 loss, and represented a cruel twist of fate for Grandal. His fifth-iing home run dashed Zack Greinke’s bid for a no-hitter and a shutout, and proved to be the Dodgers’ only run of the game.

During their current 12-game wiing streak, the Diamondbacks have gained 9 1/2 games on the first-place Dodgers in the National League West standings. The Dodgers’ only win during that time? A 1-0 nail-biter in San Diego in which Clayton Kershaw pitched flawlessly.

Pitching wasn’t the problem Tuesday.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted he didn’t need starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu to be perfect. He merely wanted Ryu to return to form – six runs allowed in his first six starts following the All-Star break – after getting shelled for six runs in four iings Aug. 30 in Phoenix.

Ryu did just that. The left-hander allowed only one run in six iings, pitching well enough to leave the game tied at 1. He walked five batters but struck out seven and benefitted from a double play on a comebacker to the pitcher’s mound.

Ross Stripling pitched two scoreless iings in relief of Ryu. Kenley Jansen pitched around a couple baseruers in the top of the ninth iing. In the bottom of the ninth iing, the Dodgers wasted a leadoff single by Chris Taylor, who was thrown out trying to advance to second base on a deep fly ball.

That set the stage for Baez (3-4), who has allowed seven runs in three September appearances while recording only two outs.

Baez walked Chris Iaetta and A.J. Pollock to begin the 10th iing. Left-hander Tony Watson was warming up in the bullpen when Roberts emerged from the dugout to visit the mound, but the manager elected to leave Baez in the game.

Chris Herrma pinch-ran for Iaetta, and both ruers moved up on a J.D. Martinez groundout. When Brandon Drury bounced a ground ball to third base, Turner’s best chance at an out was to throw home to retire Herrma. His throw was on target but Grandal – blinded by Herrma, perhaps – couldn’t close his mitt on the baseball.

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Watson relieved Baez and finished the iing, but the damage was done. Fernando Rodney pitched a scoreless 10th iing, allowing only a pinch-hit single to Corey Seager, to end the game.

Since they matched their 2016 win total on Aug. 25, the Dodgers are 1-10 and have been outscored 62 to 26. Five of those losses have come at the hands of the Diamondbacks.