Dodgers Offense Goes Missing in 1-0 Loss to Brewers

Where's Brian Dozier when you need him?

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday in order to obtain a right-handed bat that dominates left-handed pitching. Unfortunately, he couldn't arrive in time. 

"I landed about 7:45, I got in the car a little after 8 o'clock, and suited up at 9 o'clock," said Dozier. "Dave and I talked when I was on the plane and he said 'Get here when you can.' It was a very quick game tonight, so when I showed up in the eighth inning, that's what I did."

Left-hander Wade Miley remained undefeated at Dodger Stadium, delivering seven scoreless innings in the Milwaukee Brewers' 1-0 win over Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

In seven starts in Los Angeles, Miley is now 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA. The left-hander got some help from center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who appeared to rob the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger of a game-tying home run with a leaping catch at the wall to end the seventh inning. Cain also drove in Milwaukee's only run with a two-out double in the third.

"It was a good play. Obviously it sucks, but I can't hang my head on it for too much longer," said Bellinger who was robbed by Cain. "It was a great play. He's an athlete out there. I took one away from someone and he took one away from me. That's just how it works."

The Brewers improved to 5-1 during their eight-game California swing, having taken three of four in San Francisco before winning their first two against the Dodgers. Milwaukee has won eight of 11 since a seven-game skid.

"They're a good ballclub," said Roberts of the Brewers. "They can pitch. They have a good pen, and have some guys that can do some good things on the position side...as far as both clubs, we're pretty evenly matched."

The Dodgers lost their third straight on a day when they acquired infielder Brian Dozier from the Minnesota Twins and reliever John Axford from the Toronto Blue Jays. Dozier, who arrived in Los Angeles Tuesday night and watched in uniform from the dugout, joins Manny Machado in the Dodgers' revamped infield.

"If it had went extras there would have been a spot there," Roberts said of possibly using Dozier in a pinch-hit role. "I tip my hat to him for getting on a plane and trying to help us. It says a lot about him. I wish we could have celebrated his arrival with a victory." 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and general manager Farhan Zaidi said the right-handed hitting Dozier was acquired, in part, to help the team improve its fortunes against left-handers.

"If you look at this year, we haven't really handled left-handed pitching," said Roberts. "So obviously the acquisition of Dozier is a guy that throughout his career has really fared well against left-handed pitching." 

Miley (2-1) exposed Los Angeles' weakness, giving up only singles by Yasiel Puig in the second and Austin Barnes in the fifth. He struck out five, walked one and only allowed one runner to reach second base.

"Miley was typical Miley. He did the same thing to us at there place," said Roberts of Miley. "It's a pretty simple formula, and he executed all night long. We tried to put things together, and it just didn't happen." 

Walker Buehler (4-4) went seven strong innings, giving up one run on five hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

"Out of failure comes success a lot of times," said Buehler. "I wasn't pleased with my last outing, so we went back to the drawing board and figured it out."

Second baseman Enrique Hernandez threw out Cain at home to end the third after Mike Moustakas singled to shallow center field.

Right-hander Joakim Soria, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox last week, pitched a scoreless eighth. Jeremy Jeffress worked the ninth for his fourth save in eight opportunities.

Machado, who made his Dodgers debut on July 20 at Milwaukee, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson (shoulder surgery) followed his examination with orthopedist Dr. Neal El Attrache on Monday with a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday. He focused on off-speed pitches.

Dodgers: 3B Justin Turner (right groin strain) had three innings worth of live batting practice Tuesday, and Roberts expects his middle-of-the-order threat to be back in the starting lineup by the weekend. ... LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (left groin strain) will pitch three innings in a rehab outing with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Thursday. 

UP NEXT

RHP Chase Anderson (7-7, 3.69 ERA) will take the mound for the Brewers on Wednesday looking for his first career victory at Dodger Stadium. He's 0-3 there with a 4.15 ERA in six starts.

LHP Rich Hill (4-4, 3.82) is coming off a strong outing at Atlanta on Thursday, when he worked seven scoreless innings in an 8-2 victory.