Bases Loaded Failures, a Triple Play and Broken Dreams

The Indians tied up the series with the Dodgers on Tuesday night as they hung a cool 10 runs on the board and beat the Boys in Blue. Josh Beckett, whose hip has been bothering him, did not look sharp and picked up the loss after allowing 5 runs to The Tribe. Beckett did do well with the bat, and he had two hits on the night including a double. The bullpen didn’t fare too well either tonight. Jamey Wright served up 2 runs and Paul Maholm was charged with 3 runs. It was a long game fueled with many pitchers and many bases loaded botches from the Dodgers.

The Indians used 7 pitchers to beat the Dodgers after Justin Masterson exited after just 3 innings. The Dodgers scored in the first inning off a Gonzo homerun and again in the fourth when Puig drove in the third Dodger run, but that would be all we heard from the Dodgers’ bats during the night. The Dodgers were 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base.

Bad base running really did the Dodgers in. A rare and strange triple play in the fourth highlighted the Dodgers horrible base running. Gordon was thrown out at home and Puig was thrown out at second on a fly out by Gonzalez. The Dodgers also loaded up the bases three times only to fail to score thrice. Dee Gordon had 3 hits, but he did not score any runs. The Dodgers were their own worst enemies in this self-defeat.

Dodgers 3 10 1

Indians 10 13 1

WP- Crockett (2-0)

LP- Beckett (5-5)

HR- Chisenhall (9), Gonzalez (14)

The Indians score quickly off josh Beckett in the top of the first. Asdrubal Cabrera singles with one out. Josh Beckett tries to pick-off Cabrera, but his throw goes by Adrian Gonzalez and into right field for an error. Michael Brantley doubles to center field, and Cabrera trots home. Lonnie Chisenhall proceeds to crush a ball over the right field fence, and the two-run homerun gives the Indians an early 3-0 lead.

Yasiel Puig, the Wild Horse, stretches a single which goes just by the diving Cabrera, into a double by sliding headfirst into second! Adrian Gonzalez then proceeds to wallop a two-run shot to left center field, and the Cleveland lead is cut down to one run. There’s been less than two innings played, and each team has hit a homerun in the first inning. Matt Kemp has now struck out 75 times this season which is most on the team. Andre Ethier reaches safely on an error by Nick Swisher who can’t squeeze his glove on the ball and misses the catch at first. Then Masterson, flustered after the dropped catch, walks Juan Uribe and Drew Butera to load up the bases for the Dodgers. Carlos Triunfel ruins the rally by striking out and chasing a ball off the plate. Masterson made 37 pitches in the inning.

The Indians get a man on second in the second, but Beckett strikes out Michael Bourn to end the scoreless frame.

Jul 1, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) beats the throw to Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) as he doubles in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Beckett helps his own cause in the bottom of the second by leading off with a double to right. Dee Gordon than follows suit with a double as well, and Beckett advances to third. The Dodgers have men at second and third with nobody out. Puig strikes out swinging. Masterson will intentionally walked Adrian Gonzalez, and the Indians will try their luck with Matt Kemp. The bases are loaded again for the Dodgers. Vin Scully points out how bad the Dodgers have been with the bases loaded this year. Kemp strikes out a second time, on of course a big slider away. Why does he keep chasing that pitch? Ethier grounds out to first base, and once again the Dodgers leave the bases loaded and have now stranded 6 runners in two innings.

The Dodgers are now 8-for-52 with the bases loaded.

In the top of the third, Matt Kemp redeems himself a bit for those two strikeouts by making a great catch in left field on a hard hit ball by Michael Brantley. Kemp falls down in the dirt while making the sprawling catch on the warning track. Beckett walks Chisenhall, and Jason Kipnis singles to right field. Swisher then doubles to center field and drives in two runs for the Indians. The Dodgers are now down 5-2.  Yan Gomes grounds out to end the inning.

Justin Masterson settles down and pitches a 1-2-3 third inning while striking out both Uribe and Triunfel.

Beckett counters with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the top of the fourth.

Josh collects his second hit of the night, a lead-off ground-rule double, in the bottom of the fourth. Dee Gordon lays down a beautiful bunt to third, and he beats out Chisenhall’s throw for a single. Puig then comes up clutch with a RBI single to right field. Beckett brings home the third Dodger run of the night. Gordon makes it all the way to third on the Puig hit. That’s going to be all for Justin Masterson, and Terry Francona will bring in Kyle Crockett from the bullpen to pitch to Gonzo with runners at the corners and nobody out. Dee Gordon tries to come home on a fly ball to left field by Gonzo, but Gordon is out by a lot on a strong Brantley throw. Puig takes second on the throw home, and the Indians will challenge the safe call. After video review, the umpires overturn the call and the Dodgers run themselves right out of the inning. Don Mattingly comes out to argue, and there’s some continued discussion about the inning. Apparently this becomes the most complicated triple play ever. If you are keeping score, that’s a 7-2-4 triple play complete with two TOOTBLANS.

“How about the oddest triple play you’ll see?” -Vin Scully

Beckett pitches another nice 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Dodgers load the bases up yet again. Kyle Crockett walks Matt Kemp to start off the inning. Ethier singles, and the Indians will make a pitching change. Vinnie Pestano will pitch to Uribe who singles to load up the bases with nobody out. Butera strikes out. Hanley Ramirez will come off the bench to pinch-hit for Triunfel, but Hanley also strikes out. Francona will go to the pen once again, and Marc Rzepczynski will come in to pitch to Clint Robinson who is hitting for Beckett. Of course Robinson strikes out, and three times tonight the Dodgers have loaded up the bases just to leave ’em full.

Jamey Wright will take over for Josh Beckett in the sixth inning, and Miguel Rojas will take over at shortstop. Wright walks Kipnis to begin the frame. Wright hangs Swisher out to dry for the first out. With Gomes at the plate, a wild pitch allows Kipnis to reach second. Gomes strokes a double to center field, and the Indians score again as Kipnis comes home while the ball is caroming off the Dodger Stadium outfield wall. The lead-off walk is cashed in. Another run comes in on a Daniel Murphy double to left field. The Indians are now up 7-3. Ryan Raburn strikes out. Bourn strikes out. Wright ends up striking out the side, but he also serves up two runs.

Justin Masterson pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits with 7 strikeouts and 3 walks on 85 pitches.

Jul 1, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig (66) looks on as a fan reaches to catch the home run ball hit by Cleveland Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall (8) in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Beckett pitched 5 innings and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits with 5 strikeouts and a walk on 79 pitches.

Scott Atchison becomes the fifth Cleveland pitcher of the night in the bottom of the sixth. Gordon legs out a single on a ball hit to third. Gordon is thrown out trying to steal second by Gomes while Puig is at-bat. More horrible base running for the Dodgers tonight. Puig grounds out, and Gonzo strikes out and down go the Dodgers.

Paul Maholm pitches a 1-2-3 seventh inning, but the Dodgers are still down by four.

Matt Kemp strikes out for the third time. Ethier grounds and Uribe ground out, and the Dodgers go down quickly in the seventh.

Maholm is back on the mound for the top of the eighth. Kipnis leads off with a bloop single to center. Swisher goes 2-for-4 with a single up the middle. Gomes doubles, and Kipnis scores. Murphy singles in Swisher for the second run of the inning. Another run comes in on a scoring double play hit into by Carlos Santana. The Tribe takes a commanding 10-3 lead.

Bryan Shaw is the next pitcher to come into the game for Cleveland for the bottom of the eighth. Shaw sends the Dodgers down in order.

Chris Perez is in for the top of the ninth, and he pitches a scoreless inning while allowing one hit to Brantley.

John Axford will close things out in the bottom of the ninth. Gordon draws a lead-off walk. Puig goes down on strikes. A.J. Ellis flies out. Kemp avoids the Golden Sombrero by flying out to end the game.

The Dodgers fall to 48-38, and they drop to 1/2 game behind the Giants in the standings. Wednesday will be getaway day for the Dodgers as they wrap up the homestand with a early afternoon series finale against Cleveland at 12:10 p.m. Hyun-jin Ryu will face Trevor Bauer.