The Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason is starting earlier than expected as they were upset by a National League West runner-up in their opening postseason series for the second year in a row. The Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a best-of-five Division Series, losing 4-2 in Phoenix.
“They outplayed us, and there’s no other way to say it,” said Dodger manager Dave Roberts. “I give credit to them and wish them well. Our clubhouse is filled with disappointment. I believe in every one of those guys, but that team over there simply outplayed us in every aspect of the game.”
Dodger pitcher Lance Lynn set an unwanted record in the third inning of the game. He allowed a record four home runs to the Diamondbacks, marking the first time a team hit four home runs in an inning during a postseason game.
“Lance threw two scoreless innings and was doing well,” Roberts explained. “Then he gave up the homer to Perdomo, followed by the Marte homer. At that point, we were only down 2-0 in the third inning, and I expected Lance to navigate through the right-handed hitters with two outs and nobody on base. But two homers later, we were down 4-0.”
Roberts made the decision to replace Lynn with Caleb Ferguson after Christian Walker and Gabriel Moreno hit back-to-back home runs.
“I had some guys ready,” Roberts said. “I can’t predict the future, and the way Lance was throwing the baseball, I didn’t expect that outcome.”
Lynn allowed a league-high 44 home runs in his regular-season starts.
Perdomo, the No. 9 hitter in Arizona’s lineup, hit a 2-1 four-seam fastball for his first postseason home run. Marte and Walker also hit home runs in the game, contributing to the Diamondbacks’ streak of homering in postseason games, which dates back to 2007 and is the second-longest streak in history.
Despite their efforts, the Dodgers could not match the Diamondbacks’ homerun power. The New York Yankees hold the record for the longest streak, with 23 consecutive postseason games with a home run from 2019-22.
The Dodgers struggled to find offensive success, scoring only two runs in each of the three games. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the top two batters in the lineup, were especially stifled by the Diamondbacks’ pitching. Betts finished the series 0-for-11 at the plate, while Freeman had just one hit in 10 at-bats.
“I prepared well, but I simply did not execute,” Betts said. “Credit to them for pitching exceptionally.”
Rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who had struggled against the Dodgers in the regular season, allowed only two hits over 4 1/3 innings. The Dodgers managed to score two runs in the seventh inning, but it was not enough to overcome the Diamondbacks.
The loss to Arizona served as a reminder of the Dodgers’ previous postseason disappointment, when they were eliminated by the San Diego Padres in a Division Series despite winning 111 games in the regular season, 22 more than the Padres.
“The format may have its flaws, but at the end of the day, we were outplayed in the postseason for two years in a row,” Roberts admitted. “I need to do a better job of preparing our guys for this stage. I take responsibility for that.”
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