Gold Rush: Paul Goldschmidt Leads Dbacks over Dodgers 8-0

Paul Goldschmidt homered for the second consecutive game as the Diamondbacks went back-to-back in the seventh inning, dropping the Dodgers 8-0 on Tuesday night at Chavez Ravine.

The Dodgers lost their fourth consecutive game at home, their longest losing streak of the season and their second longest overall since losing five in a row on Aug. 18-23. Their lead in the NL West dropped to six games ahead of the San Francisco Giants, and their magic number has stayed at seven for three straight days.

"We haven't won anything yet," Dodgers' catcher A.J. Ellis said after the game. "This is time for us to buckle down and play better than we have these last four games. We need to turn the page and shower this game off."

The Diamondbacks scored five runs in the ninth inning off the Dodgers bullpen, breaking the game open with a three-run home run by Brandon Drury, the first of his big league career.

The Dodgers bullpen, which has been inconsistent all season, allowed six runs on eight hits in just 2.2 innings of relief.

"Our pen has been in a little bit of a disarray," Dodgers' manager Don Mattingly said. "Other guys have thrown the ball good at times, but then other times it gets away. We just want to try and form some consistency."

Alex Wood pitched well for Los Angeles, allowing two runs on just three hits with six strikeouts in 6.1 innings, before leaving the game after serving up a home run to A.J. Pollock with one-out in the seventh.

"He's a good hitter, it was a good pitch, but he put a good swing on it," Wood said of the homer to Pollock. "I was kind of surprised it got out, but tip your cap."

Chris Hatcher came in the game for Wood, and Goldschmidt greeted him with a solo shot to right-center as the D-backs went back-to-back for the sixth time this year.

"He left a slider up a little it and fortunately I was able to get enough." Goldschmidt said. "I thought Van Slyke might have caught it, fortunately he didn't."

Goldschmidt became become just the sixth first baseman in MLB history to have 30 home runs, 100 RBI and 20 stolen bases in a single season.

Wood (11-11) racked up his second consecutive loss to the Diamondbacks, but pitched much better than his last start against the Snakes in Arizona when he allowed six runs in just one inning of work on Sept. 11th.

Despite the two runs allowed, Wood has a 2.68 ERA over his last six starts.

"It all starts with my fastball command," Wood said. "If I can command my four-seam in to righties, I do pretty good off that, and I've been able to do that well my last four starts."

Robbie Ray recorded the win, shutting out the Dodgers for the second consecutive start and LA's 11th overall. Ray (5-12) allowed just three hits, striking out seven in six scoreless innings.

"Tempo was the big thing," Ray said. "I call it 'cardio pitching' I work as fast as I can like a workout, like you're running. It worked tonight."

Ray, who struggles against the rest of the big leagues, seems to be masterful every time he pitches against the Dodgers. Ray is 2-8 with a 4.54 ERA since the All-Star break, but both victories have come over the Dodgers.

"It's always fun to pitch against the Dodgers," Ray said. "They bring a good atmosphere every time out and it was fun to keep them quiet."

Arizona got on the board when Nick Ahmed hit a leadoff double off Wood in the fourth inning, and scored two batters later on a groundball to short by Pollock.

Pollock went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs scored as he extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games.

Game Notes:
Nick Ahmed left the game in the bottom of the seventh with a jammed back after making a diving stop to get the force at second.

The Dodgers celebrated the birthday of Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda who turned 88 years old before the game.
 

Once again, Happy 88th Birthday to the greatest #Dodgers manager of all-time Tommy Lasorda. #ItsYourDutyJudy pic.twitter.com/BbSFE7GXPb — Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) September 23, 2015