MILWAUKEE — Pitching to contact helped Justin Wrobleski go 6-1 and pitch deep into games. It was not his friend Friday night.
Wrobleski gave up six hits in the first inning, including a three-run home run to William Contreras, and the Dodgers went on to lose to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1, in the opener of a three-game weekend series between division leaders.
The four runs Wrobleski allowed in the first inning were more than he gave up combined in his first five starts after joining the Dodgers’ rotation. His past three starts now have had the feel of a course correction – he has given up 14 runs in his past 19⅔ innings.
Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang led off the first inning with back-to-back singles. Wrobleski’s next pitch, a slider down and in, wasn’t bad but Contreras sent it 410 feet into the ‘Wisco’ night.
After a line out, Wrobleski gave up three more singles, only one hit more than 85 mph off the bat. A sacrifice fly brought in a fourth run, a walk re-loaded the bases and Wrobleski finally escaped by striking out the 10th batter of the inning.
The Brewers scored another run in the second inning, but Wrobleski managed to get through five innings – his shortest start since his first of the season on April 6 – with no more damage to his ERA which jumped from 2.49 to 3.07 in a matter of hours.
Put in a hole by Wrobleski’s rough first inning on Boy Band Night in Milwaukee, the Dodgers’ offense never got NSYNC, struggling against New Kid on the Block, rookie right-hander Logan Henderson.
For the first three innings, Dodgers hitters only knew One Direction – back to the bench. Henderson walked Shohei Ohtani to start the game. Ohtani was caught trying to steal second base and Henderson struck out five of the next eight hitters on his way to seven strikeouts in five scoreless innings.
Ohtani led off the fourth inning with the Dodgers’ first hit of the game. Walks loaded the bases with two outs but Max Muncy popped out.
After scoring 31 runs in their Color Me Badd sweep of the Angels last weekend, the Dodgers’ offense has returned to its slump. They have scored 10 runs in the four games since (half of those in one game against the Padres) and had twice as many walks (six) as hits (three) against Henderson and the Brewers’ bullpen on Friday.
The Dodgers’ last chance to make a New Edition of the game came in the seventh inning.
Teoscar Hernandez reached base on a throwing error by Brewers third baseman Luis Rengifo. A single put two runners on with no outs. Hernandez moved to third on a fly out and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ohtani. Mookie Betts appeared to extend the inning when Rengifo fielded his ground ball and made a wide throw to first base, appearing to pull Andrew Vaughn off the base. The Brewers appealed the safe call and Brewers fans got a Big Time Rush when the call was overturned, ending the inning.
Paul Gervase and Jonathan Hernandez followed Wrobleski with three scoreless innings in relief, extending the Dodgers’ bullpen’s scoreless streak to 32 innings.
An ominous note was struck in the eighth inning when Muncy was struck in the wrist by a pitch from Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby. Muncy left the game.
More to come on this story.