The Dodgers held a three-run lead in the seventh inning but the top arms in the bullpen trust tree blew the game in a 7-4 loss to the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Dodgers relievers have pitched over a dozen more innings than any other major league team on the season, averaging roughly 4⅓ innings per night. The bill for that heavy usage has come due this month, as cracks in the foundation have started to widen.

Asked to get the final four innings on Wednesday, the Dodgers couldn’t hold what became a three-run lead.

Lou Trivino, one of the many in-season additions by the Dodgers in their never-ending quest for fresh arms, pitched a scoreless sixth inning, stranding the bases loaded. He allowed a run in the seventh and was pulled with two outs.

Tanner Scott got a strikeout to end the seventh to preserve a two-run lead, but then allowed three hits and a walk in the eighth to tie the score. Scott has blown leads in three of his last five appearances, allowing 10 total runs during that time. He allowed four runs through his first 21 appearances.

Alex Vesia was called into a tie game with two runners on and one out in the eighth, but gave up a three-run home run to Angel Martínez that served as the game winner for Cleveland. Vesia has already allowed seven home runs this season in 27 games, matching his seasonal totals in each of the last two years, in 56 and 67 games, respectively.

Five runs in the eighth inning turned the game around.

“This inning really stinks,” Orel Hershiser said on the SportsNet LA broadcast. “Dodgers are 28-2 when leading after seven innings. This one is a shocker.”

On offense, the Dodgers made the most of their opportunities in building the lead.

Doubles by Teoscar Hernández and Will Smith in the fourth inning tied the game, then Andy Pages followed with a single for the lead. Both run-scoring hits in the frame came with two outs.

Mookie Betts walked in the sixth inning, then advanced to second on a wild pitch. That made it easy for him to score on a single by Freddie Freeman, one of two hits for the Dodgers first baseman.

The team had three hits in seven at-bats with runners in scoring position on Wednesday, but didn’t even need a hit with runners on to add some insurance in the seventh. Kiké Hernández did double with one out in the inning, then took third base on a flyout to center, and scored on a wild pitch, narrowly avoiding the tag at home plate of covering pitcher Tim Herrin.

Clayton Kershaw was getting hit very hard, including four smashes into the left field corner that were sure doubles. Only the Dodgers had Andy Pages out there, and he had an opportunity to showcase his golden arm. Pages, who probably leads the league in making no-chance plays look close, did just that in throwing out José Ramírez at second base to limit the damage in the first inning.

Ramírez hit another one to roughly the same spot in the third inning but didn’t even test Pages, throwing up his hands in exasperation at two bases subtracted from his slugging percentage. Not to be undaunted, Ramírez did finally get his double, this time in the seventh inning off Trivino off the top of the wall but in right field.

Kershaw was on the ropes in the first inning, as he also walked a pair after the two hard hits. He escaped with only one run allowed but needed 26 pitches to get his first three outs. But he settled down after that, allowing just four hits with no walks, needing only 48 pitches to get through his next four innings. Kershaw struck out three, and induced nine swinging strikes, eight of them after the first inning.

The Dodgers finish the road trip 3-3.

Wednesday particulars

Home run: Angel Martínez (3)

WP — Matt Festa (1-0): 1 IP, 1 hit

LP — Tanner Scott (0-1): IP, 3 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Sv — Emmanuel Clase (11): 1 IP, 1 strikeout

The road trip now over, the Dodgers fly home to Los Angeles and are off on Thursday. It’s a World Series rematch this weekend at Dodger Stadium beginning Friday night (7:10 p.m., Apple TV+). Tony Gonsolin takes the ball in the series opener, with Max Fried likely on the mound for the Yankees.