For the first time since June 14-16 in Pittsburgh, the Dodgers have lost a series. Over the last two months, the Dodgers were unbeaten in 18 consecutive series. That streak was snapped Sunday in ugly fashion as they lost 8-1 to the Red Sox.
Boston jumped onto Chris Capuano early, with two doubles and an infield single for one run in the first. They tacked on one more in the third with Jacoby Ellsbury scoring on a Dustin Pedroia sac fly.
In the fourth, Will Middlebrooks scored from first base on a line-drive ground-ball to center field that Skip Schumaker bobbled on the scoop. Xander Bogaerts was credited with an RBI double, but Schumaker should have been credited with an error, because there was no way Middlebrooks should have scored from first base.
Capuano was removed after five innings, allowing six hits for three runs with one walk and three strikeouts. In his last four starts, he has pitched a combined 19.1 innings with 15 earned runs. Not a good way for Capuano to end the season, especially on a contract year.
The errors and questionable calls early in the game seemed significant at the time, but the bats never got started and the bullpen could not keep the game close.
Chris Withrow came in as relief for Capuano and had a rough time, giving up three runs in two innings, on two home runs. Carlos Marmol pitched a scoreless inning, and Brandon League added two more runs to the final score in the ninth giving up a two-run homer to Mike Napoli that went so far up the left field bleachers it should have counted twice.
Boston starter, Jake Peavy, threw a no-hitter through the first three innings before giving up a solo shot to Adrian Gonzalez in the fourth. He continued to pitch a stellar three-hit complete-game giving the Red Sox a one-game lead in the AL East.
In all three games of the series the Dodgers were hitless through the first three innings, and they ended up combined for just five runs on 11 hits. The finale loss came one year, to the date, of the blockbuster trade between the two clubs.
Next up, the Dodgers face the Cubs at home for a three-game series. Despite having Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw on the mound to start off the series, their bats need to wake up or else even the smallest mistakes from those pitchers could cost them the game.
