Dodgers Rally To Win 50th Game

The Dodgers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-2 on Friday evening for their 50 win of the season. The Dodgers were without a hit against mound opponent Jimmy Nelson until the fifth inning. The Dodgers took advantage of some sloppy Milwaukee defense to plate three unanswered unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The key play came when Brewer’s third baseman Hernan Perez threw away Alex Guerrero’s routine ground ball to third base.

Brewers 2 7 2

Dodgers 3 5 0

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Mike Bolsinger pitched well, but two wild pitches in the fifth inning led to two Milwaukee runs. Jean Segura singled to center to lead-off the fifth frame. Scooter Gennett followed with a ground ball single that rolled past Adrian Gonzalez into right field.

With runners at first and second, Nelson was asked to sacrifice. While he was still at the plate, Bolsinger uncorked the first of his two wild pitches. That allowed the runners to advance to second and third. Nelson ended up striking out. Then Gerardo Parra’s grounder scored the first run, and immediately after Bolsinger uncorked the second wild pitch to allow Gennett to score. That put the Brewers ahead 2-0.

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However like any lousy club, the Brewers would make a mistake that cost them. The Dodgers would capitalize. Meanwhile Bolsinger pitched well despite the wild fifth inning. Overall Bolsinger threw six innings allowing two earned runs on four hits with one walk and six whiffs. He did not get a decision, but was still effective.

Nelson was rolling along until that error in the seventh. He had allowed just two hits and five base runners. But before the seventh inning, Milwaukee switched Aramis Ramriez out of the game for rookie Perez. Ramirez was annoyed enough to throw a mini-tantrum in the Milwaukee dugout.

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So after the error on Guerrero’s grounder, Jimmy Rollins lined a single into center. Then with pinch-hitter Andre Ethier at the plate, and Nelson flustered, Rollins swiped second base. The Dodgers are dead last in the majors in steals, but on Saturday night a stolen base really helped them. See how sometimes speed can make a difference in a game?

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So with second and third, Ethier blooped a single into center that scored Guerrero and Rollins to tie the game at 2-2. Joc Pederson immediately doubles off the low wall in the left field corner to score Ethier from third, as the ball bounced away from Khris Davis. The Dodgers took a 3-2 lead!

Nelson took the loss, but clearly didn’t deserve to lose the way he pitched. He allowed five hits through seven frames, and all three runs were unearned. Nelson walked two and struck out six. The strange thing about the game was that reliever Chin-hui Tsao got the win after pitching a scoreless seventh inning. This was Tsao’s first MLB appearance and win in eight years. Tsao struck out one and allowed two hits.

J.P. Howell pitched a scoreless eighth inning, and Kenley Jansen threw a perfect top of the ninth to preserve the win and pick up his fifteenth save of the season. The Dodgers won and improved to 50-38 on the season. They remain 5.5 games in front of the Giants in the National League West.

Brandon Beachy will make his Dodger debut on Saturday night for the boys in blue. Milwaukee will counter with rookie youngster Taylor Jungmann in the second to final game before the all-star break. First pitch will begin at 6:10 PM.

Go Blue!