Relief crew takes down Brew Crew in unexpected bullpen game
by Ron Gutterman
Noah Syndergaard’s return to the mound after a nine-day break was brief. A cut on his right index finger limited him to just one inning.
The bullpen picked him up.
The Dodgers used seven relievers over the next eight innings, giving up just two solo home runs, resulting in a 6–2 victory over the Brewers on Tuesday night to even the series at one apiece.
“The bullpen was fantastic,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s a tough spot going into tomorrow, but what they gave us (Tuesday) was huge.”
Phil Bickford entered in relief of Syndergaard for the second inning. And after an appearance on Monday in which he allowed four runs and recorded one out, he was in need of a bounce-back.
He gave up just one hit and struck out one over 1 1/3 innings before he was replaced by Justin Bruihl.
Bruihl was recalled on Tuesday morning with Caleb Ferguson going on the paternity list. He responded quickly with two strikeouts over a perfect five-out appearance.
Yency Almonte and Victor González tossed clean frames in the fifth and sixth.
The first Brewers runs came in the seventh inning against Shelby Miller, who had allowed just two runs and four hits in his first 14 2/3 innings prior to Tuesday.
But solo home runs by Rowdy Tellez and Victor Caratini put Milwaukee on the board. Miller returned for the eighth inning and recorded two outs.
Brusdar Graterol was the next reliever for LA.
He entered with a runner on first base and allowed a quick single to Luke Voit before striking out Willy Adames to end the inning.
In the ninth, he struck out Tellez before a throwing error by Miguel Vargas and a walk got traffic on the base paths. Evan Phillips came in to record the final out of the night, doing so by forcing a Tyrone Taylor groundout.
After the game, Roberts and Syndergaard said they were going to wait and see how things progress before making any determinations about an IL stint.
Early Offense
Mookie Betts got things started right away with a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the night from Brewers starter Eric Lauer.
The homer was Betts’ 39th career leadoff blast and his seventh of the 2023 season. He spoke about the benefit of a leadoff homer.
“Some energy,” Betts said. “I’m just trying to do my job and that’s to get on base and score, and if it goes over, it goes over.”
His home run (103.9 mph) and a lineout (108.2) were the two hardest-hit balls by a Dodger on Tuesday.
Freddie Freeman then put on a one-man show of patience and intelligent baserunning.
Freeman took a five-pitch walk, then stole second base. He took third base on a throwing error by Lauer trying to pick him off, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Will Smith. The Dodgers led 2–0 by the end of their third plate appearance.
The Dodgers kept the scoring going in the second inning when James Outman doubled and Miguel Rojas poked an opposite-field single to right field.
LA took a 4–0 lead in the third inning when Smith hammered his fifth home run of the season to left field. Smith finished with a three-hit game after base hits in the seventh and ninth frames.
The Dodgers chased Lauer from the game after 3 2/3 innings in which he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks. Lauer was 7–1 with a 2.37 ERA in 64 2/3 career innings against the Dodgers prior to Tuesday.
“He’s kind of had our number in the past,” Smith said. “We came up with a plan, changed a little bit of it and just had good at-bats. We didn’t give in, hit the ball with two strikes and hit a couple homers out.”
Vargas hitting for power
In the sixth inning, Miguel Vargas extended the Dodger lead to 6–0 with a two-run homer against reliever Bryse Wilson. It was Vargas’ first hit in four games after landing six hits in a three-game stretch from May 2 through May 5.
Eight of Vargas’ last nine hits have been of the extra-base variety, including three home runs, four doubles and a triple.
Looking Ahead
The Dodgers (22–15) series finale in Milwaukee begins at 10:40 a.m. PST on Wednesday, as LA has a chance to steal a second-straight series win after dropping the first game.
Clayton Kershaw and Wade Miley square off on getaway day before the Dodgers return home for a homestand against the Padres and Twins.
