Dodgers’ late-game nightmares take a new turn — a balk-off loss

Dodgers’ late-game nightmares take a new turn — a balk-off loss

  • Los Angeles Dodgers starter Rich Hill delivers a pitch during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Seattle Mariners starter Erasmo Ramirez delivers a pitch during the first inning of the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

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  • Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson is congratulated by teammates in the dugout after scoring against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger hits an RBI single off of Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Erasmo Ramirez during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Seager (15), Robinson Cano, right, and Nelson Cruz celebrate after Seager hit a three-run home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Rich Hill during the first inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy stretches for a throw from shortstop Manny Machado as Seattle Mariners’ Robinson Cano reaches first base safely for an infield single during the first inning of a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Seattle Mariners center fielder Cameron Maybin, right, congratulates left fielder Guillermo Heredia after Heredia made a diving catch for an out on a ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers’ Manny Machado during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

  • Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Brian Dozier tags out Seattle Mariners’ Kyle Seager, who tried to steal second base during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

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SEATTLE – As the Dodgers staggered through a nightmarish stretch of late-game stumbles over the past 10 days, they seemed to have exhausted every way to shoot themselves in the foot.

Saturday night, they reloaded and took aim once again.

Less than a week after he was guilty of a bases-loaded walk to cost the Dodgers a game in Colorado, reliever Dylan Floro balked home the winning run in another bases-loaded situation, giving the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 victory in 10 innings Saturday night.

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It is the seventh time in the past eight games, the Dodgers have blown a lead or lost a game that was tied in the seventh inning or later. Each of their past five losses have come in the opposing team’s last at-bat, three on walkoffs.

“That’s a tough one to lose, to lose like that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “The way we fought back and homered against some pretty tough arms and to get back into it and try to steal one — unfortunately it didn’t work out.”

But the relentlessly upbeat Roberts remains steadfast in his belief that this nightly torment has not damaged his team’s psyche – or its chances of reaching the playoffs.

“No. It’s baseball,” he said. “There’s times when things go your way and there’s times when it’s tough sledding and things kind of don’t. But I always kind of default to talent and work ethic. So the preparation is there, the talent is there and we’ve just got to keep going.”

They will keep going looking up at a lot of traffic in the National League playoff picture. The Dodgers’ sixth loss in the past seven games leaves them two games out of first place in the National League West and sitting fifth in the tightly packed National League wild-card standings.

“For me, I usually take a look (at the standings) around Sept. 15,” Dodgers starter Rich Hill said. “It’s not time for panic. But right now, we really need to win ballgames. There’s really no other way to put it.”

They trailed almost from the start in this one. The Mariners scored four times in the first inning against Hill – then had just one hit (in the second inning) before the ninth.

That gave the Dodgers time to launch themselves back into the game with home runs by Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger in the eighth inning then tie it on an emphatic solo home run by Max Muncy off Mariners closer Edwin Diaz in the top of the ninth.

That homer ended a streak of 28 consecutive saves converted by Diaz and put the Mariners’ 60-0 run when leading after eight innings this season in jeopardy.

“This one’s tough but you look at the way we scratched and clawed to get back in it,” Turner said. “Down three in the eighth inning, score three to tie it up against that closer over there who’s one of the best in the game. You’ve got to feel good about that.”

Nonetheless, the night sweats returned.

The Mariners got the winning in scoring position but rookie reliever Caleb Ferguson escaped.

In the 10th, Ferguson gave up a pair of singles. Holding Kenta Maeda in reserve to serve as closer on the road, Roberts went to Floro to face Nelson Cruz with one out. Floro walked Cruz on five pitches, loading the bases. With an 0-and-1 count on Kyle Seager, Floro stepped off the rubber. But Fletcher made the balk call from first base.

“I’m still not sure,” Floro said when asked if the umpire had told him what he did wrong. “That’s a tough one. That’s a big situation.”

Roberts said he watched the replay and saw “a flinch (by Floro) after he came set.”

“It was close. It was borderline,” Roberts said. “But Andy got it right.”

By the letter of the law, Roberts was probably right and pitching coach Rick Honeycutt agreed. But having the game’s foggiest rule decide the game was difficult to accept for some Dodgers.

“I saw him step off. I don’t know what Fletcher saw from first base,” Turner said. “I don’t know if he said his hands broke first which is hard to believe he could see from first base with Flo’s back turned to him. So I’m not sure what the explanation was and I’m not sure we’ll ever get one.

“That’s the rule of a balk – to deceive a runner. Stepping off, there’s no deception there. In that spot – bases loaded, one out … I don’t know if I want to use the words I want to use to describe it. Just let the players handle it and determine the outcome. That sucks. That’s the worst thing about tonight. It was decided by an umpire.”

19.08.2018No comments

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