Dodgers lose bullpen battle to Yankees on late homer

NEW YORK – It was a battle of the bullpens at Yankee Stadium on Sunday night.

Both teams opted for ‘bullpen games’ in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Reliever after reliever – a combined 12 pitchers wore out paths from the bullpens to the mound – kept hitters on both sides frustrated until Evan Phillips broke the chain, giving up a solo home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the eighth inning that gave the New York Yankees a 2-1 victory.

The Dodgers won the opener of the doubleheader, 8-2, splitting Sunday but taking two out of three in the series.

The Yankees got a lead in the first inning against Will Klein when Paul Goldschmidt doubled to right field with two outs and scored on Cody Bellinger’s single.

They were set up to expand the lead in the fourth and fifth innings but Dodgers relievers choked off the threat each time.

Back-to-back walks issued by Edgardo Henriquez and a 101.4 mph wild pitch put runners at second and third with one out in the fourth. With the infield in, Jose Caballero bounced a grounder to third baseman Max Muncy, who went home with his throw. It wasn’t a great throw, but Dodgers catcher Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. handled it and made the tag. Jack Dreyer came in and got Trent Grisham to bounce out to end the threat.

In the fifth, though, Dreyer gave up three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Brock Stewart came in and doused the fire, striking out Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe around a pop up in foul territory.

The Dodgers didn’t even have the comfort of close calls like that.

After ‘opener’ Ryan Yarbrough retired the first eight Dodgers in order, Alfonzo (his first major-league hit) and Shohei Ohtani had back-to-back singles with two outs in the third inning. But Andy Pages flew out. They got the leadoff hitter on base in the fourth and fifth innings against Paul Blackburn. But double plays short-circuited both innings.

The Dodgers didn’t have another hit until Edman came off the bench to pinch-hit in the eighth inning. The second pitch from Fernando Cruz was a flat splitter at 80 mph. It went out at 102 mph, tying the game.

Phillips struck out Dominguez to start the eighth inning but Chisholm took a 97 mph fastball at the bottom of the strike zone the opposite way, clearing the wall in left-center field for the go-ahead home run.