LOS ANGELES, CA — It’s not over until it’s over was the theme Friday night in Los Angeles.
With the Cubs and Dodgers opening up a three-game set at Dodger Stadium, and LA pulling ahead early on, up 4-0, it looked as if the game was all but sealed; however Chicago answered all the way back.
To start it all off, Emmet Sheehan, 26, posting a 2-0 record with a 5.85 ERA leading up to Friday, and 34-year-old Jameson Taillon, who had a 3.97 ERA and was 1-1, were on the mound.
Sheehan was perfect through the first three innings, striking out seven of the nine batters he faced on Chicago’s side. Maybe that was an incentive for the Dodger lineup because in the bottom of the third inning, Hyeseong Kim led off with a single, Alex Freeland walked, and two batters later, Will Smith hit a 386-foot home run to right, scoring three runs.
Kim would single in the next inning to drive in Max Muncy, giving LA a 4-0 lead.
Sheehan was removed after 6.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits and one walk, while fanning 10. He threw 101 pitches with 64 coming for strikes and was relieved by Alex Vesia, who gave up Sheehan’s sole run as well as two of his own to make it a 4-3 game after seven innings.
Then it was Blake Treinen’s turn to save the game.
Alex Bregman hit the second pitch the right-hander threw for a towering 408-foot home run into the left field pavilion to tie the score at 4-4.
Next up from the bullpen was southpaw Tannor Scott, who promptly gave up a single to Pete Crow-Armstrong, slotted eighth in Chicago’s lineup.
And then a 413-foot bomb to Dansby Swanson to give the Cubs a 6-4 lead—the eventual final score.
It was Swanson’s fourth RBI of the game, shaping up another Dodger loss and another wasted performance on the bump from Sheehan.
“He did a great job, it was just unfortunate that we couldn’t get him a win because he pitched his tail off,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts of Sheehan’s outing. “He earned the right to go into the seventh inning, and you know, highest pitch count getting into the seventh inning, he did a great job.
So for me, I got no complaints. It’s just something we can build on with Emmet.”
Los Angeles (17-9) will look to even up the series Saturday night against Chicago (17-9), who is red hot on a 10-game winning streak, with first pitch scheduled for 7:15PM ET/4:15PM PT on FOX.
Injury Note in Hollywood
What a difference a week made for the Dodgers. In a span of seven days on the road, LA, dropping two of four to the lowly Rockies and two of three to the Giants before Friday night, recently lost one of the best closers in baseball—three-time LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year MVP Edwin Díaz—who underwent surgery in his right elbow to remove loose bodies.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts speaking to the media earlier in the week during Los Angeles’ seven game roadstand – Image Credit: Francisco Rodriguez/Latino Sports
Los Angeles hopes to see the Puerto Rican flamethrower’s return sometime after the All-Star break which comes in the second half of July.
For now until then, the Dodgers will go with an approach of closer by committee.
“I don’t concern myself too much about it because these are the guys we have, they have pitched well and they gotta go out there and continue to pitch well,” Roberts noted. “So, you know, I don’t spend too much time thinking about Edwin just because he’s not going to be with us for a while.”
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