The Phillies were what we thought they were, and the Dodgers let them off the hook.
Los Angeles had a lead heading into the seventh inning, but Freddy Galvis hit a three-run homer and Ryan Howard hit a bases-clearing double as the Dodgers dropped the series finale to the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2, on Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium.
Starter Scott Kazmir cruised through the first six innings of the game, destined to secure his 10th win of the season, but the Dodgers were denied a series sweep, and instead saw their four-game win streak snapped.
After allowing the first two batters to reach base to start the seventh, Kazmir left the game with the lead, but sadly suffered the loss when reliever Grant Dayton served up a fastball to Freddy Galvis that the shortstop sent over the left field wall to give the Phillies the 3-2 lead.
"A broken bat hit and a couple close pitches for a walk, I still felt great out there, even late in the game," Kazmir said when asked if he wanted to stay in the game that inning.
The Dodgers would answer in the bottom half of the inning when rookie Rob Segedin followed a Howie Kendrick double with an RBI single up the middle to make it a one-run game.
The game was still within reach as the two teams headed into the ninth, but Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen came unglued as he loaded up the bases for pinch-hitter Ryan Howard. Howard smacked a bases-clearing double down the right field line as Philadelphia doubled up their score and took a commanding 6-2 lead.
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It was just the second time all season that Jansen entered the game with his team trailing, a move that many questioned after the game.
"In talking to Kenley before the game, he really wanted to pitch," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "In that situation to give him work and keep the game within one, I felt good about it."
Adrian Gonzalez drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double in the first inning that bounced off the first base umpire.
Kazmir (9-6) was charged with two runs on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts in six innings pitched.
"I was able to make pitches when I needed to, but I wanted to pull this one out, and we let this one slip away," Kazmir said. "It's a tough one."
Jeremy Hellickson pitched well for Philadelphia, as he was able to minimize the damage throughout the game. Entering into Wednesday, the Dodgers had scored 8 runs or more in three consecutive games and had a total of 10 home runs over that span.
The multi-home run streak was snapped as Hellickson allowed just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts in five innings.
After struggling since he was dealt to the Dodgers at the trade deadline, Josh Reddick recorded his first multi-hit game for the boys in blue finishing 2-for-5 with a run scored.
"You want to come over here and contribute, especially when you know you're a guy they really wanted," Reddick said of his early struggles with his new team. "But we've been winning, so I'm not going to be the one to show my personal frustration especially when the team is winning."
Rookie of the year candidate, Corey Seager, went 2-for-3 with a double, but took a fastball off the forearm that had every Dodger fan in attendance and across the Southland holding their collective breaths as he writhed in pain in the batter's box.
"That's as quick as I've come out of the dugout in a long time," joked Roberts after the game. "Corey will be fine, it got him pretty good, but it's just a little bruise."
The Dodgers fall one game behind the Giants in the NL West, but will have an opportunity for payback when they play the Phillies in less than a week at Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Players of the Game:
Freddy Galvis: Go-ahead three-run home run.
Ryan Howard: Pinch-hit three-run double.
Howie Kendrick: 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
Three Takeaways:
1. K-Meter: The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff leads the Major Leagues with 1,059 strikeouts and has a ratio of 9.33 per 9 IP. That mark, is on pace to break the all-time franchise record of 8.69 per 9 IP from last season.
Julio Urias has 51 strikeouts, 2nd-most of any Dodgers teenage pitcher dating back to 1913. Needs 36 more before Friday to tie Ralph Branca. — Eric Stephen (@truebluela) August 9, 2016
2. Walking Wounded: The Dodgers have placed 26 different players on the disabled list this season, an NL record and one behind the 2012 Boston Red Sox with 27 for most all-time.
Teams in NL history to put more men on DL than 2016 #Dodgers: 0. Place of 2016 Dodgers in NL West: First, tied with #SFGiants. — Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) August 10, 2016
3. Day and Night: The Los Angeles Dodgers have been great in day games this season, but they fell to 20-10 (the best record in the Majors) but are 0-3 in the rare "Businessperson's Special" on weekday day games at Dodger Stadium.
#Dodgers are now 0-3 in mid-week matinee games at Dodger Stadium this year. Thankfully today was the last one this season. — JosephMatthewOrozco (@JochaDay) August 10, 2016
Up Next:
Phillies (53-63): Philadelphia will have an off-day as they travel home to host the Colorado Rockies on Friday.
Dodgers (64-50): Los Angeles gets a day off on Thursday before they host the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game set. Ross Stripling is expected to start with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 PM PST.
