CHAVEZ RAVINE \u2014 I\u2019m sorry to report that the vaunted Dodgers offense is sadly still missing in action. After putting up eight runs on Opening Day, it has been nothing but dribs and drabs of offense from this high-powered (and high-priced) lineup. On Wednesday, it was more of the same, as the Dodgers were scoreless until the bottom of ninth and they lose to the Guardians by a score of 4-1. Ugh.<\/p>\n
Yamamoto Solid, but no run support<\/p>\n
The problem all last year for Yoshinobu Yamamoto was that he\u2019d pitch well only to be done in by a lack of run support. And in this game, kind of the same old, same old. Yama pitched six innings of two-run baseball. That SHOULD be enough to get a win with the bats in the lineup. Emphasis on SHOULD.<\/p>\n
There were two runs in the third when the bottom of the Guards lineup got to him. Daniel Schneeman led off with a double. He came home when he tried to steal third and Will Smith threw the ball into the outfield, allowing him score. That was the first run. And that might have rattled Yama a bit because a couple of pitches later, light-hitting shortstop Gabriel Arias took a 3-1 curveball and yanked it to straightaway centerfield. It just cleared the fence for a solo homer, and the Dodgers once again found themselves in an 0-2 hole (sound familiar?).<\/p>\n
Other than that little sequence in the third inning, Yamamoto pitched pretty well. It was a bit of a grind, but he only allowed two other hits the entire outing. In the end, the line was that of a hard-luck loser: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. 87 pitches total with 55 for strikes. It was a decent enough start, but with the anesthesia that the Dodger bats are under, it wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n
Cleaning it up<\/p>\n
The Guardians got a two-run home run off reliever Tanner Scott in the eighth to account for their other two runs, and that pretty much put the game out of reach. Freddie Freeman had a solo home run in the ninth, but as it had been on Monday evening, it was a case of too little, too late.<\/p>\n
Next Up: The Nation\u2019s Capital<\/p>\n
Having finished a successful first homestand of the year at 4-2, the Dodgers turn their eyes eastward for their inaugural road trip of the season. And, speaking of inauguration, they are going to Washington, DC for a three-gamer with the Washington Nationals. Thursday will be a travel day, and Friday is the Nats\u2019 home opener, so that means we\u2019ve got some day baseball for you right out of the box. That will be followed by two more day games in Washington, followed by a trip to Toronto for a rematch with the Blue Jays. I\u2019m sure the Canucks will be ecstatic to see Miguel Rojas again. Game time Friday will be 10:05 AM PDT, so it\u2019s brunch and baseball for us all. See you there!<\/p>\n
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