MILWAUKEE — Runs have become a precious resource for the Dodgers recently and they squandered the little they could find Wednesday afternoon.
Tanner Scott was unable to hold a one-run lead in the ninth inning and the Dodgers lost, 3-2, in 10 innings to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The loss was the Dodgers’ sixth in a row – their longest losing streak since another six-game slide in April 2019. The three-game sweep by the Brewers is also their first ever of the Dodgers in Milwaukee. The Dodgers scored a total of four runs in the three losses at American Family Field and have managed just 10 during the losing streak.
Before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he hoped to see more “fight” in his team’s at-bats than he’d seen during the losing streak.
What he got was more passive-aggressive than bare knuckles.
The Dodgers had just five hits to go with seven walks in the game – six of the walks came in the two innings when they managed to scratch out runs.
Their first hit against Brewers starter Jose Quintana didn’t even come until the fifth inning when Esteury Ruiz shot a ground ball through the infield. Miguel Rojas had walked and was running on the play, pulling the second baseman out of position.
The way the Dodgers’ offense has been going recently it needs help – it got some in that fifth inning.
James Outman worked the count full then checked his swing on a pitch well off the plate. When the appeal went to third base umpire John Libka, he ruled no swing, loading the bases for the Dodgers.
More help came from home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn as Shohei Ohtani drew a four-pitch walk. The second and fourth pitches of the at-bat seemed to nip the strike zone, but Reyburn didn’t see it that way and Ohtani’s walk forced in a run – only the third of the series for the Dodgers.
Any joy over that breakthrough was short-lived. Glasnow walked the leadoff hitter, Jake Bauers, in the bottom of the fifth and balked him to second base. Bauers took off for third, stealing the base and trotting home to tie the score when Will Smith’s throw got past third baseman Miguel Rojas and went into left field.
Other than that, Glasnow’s return to the Dodgers’ starting rotation was a success. He allowed just that one unearned run on two hits and three walks while striking out five in five innings. His command was off at times but his velocity was up on both his four-seam fastball (96.8 mph) and sinker (96.6 mph) compared to his five starts in April.
The Dodgers regained the lead in the seventh when an infield single and two walks loaded the bases with one out for Mookie Betts. He drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly into the left-field corner.
The Brewers had the tying run in scoring position in the eighth and ninth innings. Scott got through the eighth but three singles in the ninth allowed the Brewers to tie the game and send it into extra innings.
Brewers reliever Trevor Megill struck out the side in the top of the 10th, the Dodgers failing to advance their free runner. In the bottom of the inning, the Brewers used a fly ball and a single by Jackson Chourio to walk away with the win.
More to come on this story.