Dodgers Drop To Last Place With 9-2 Loss To Diamondbacks
Matt Kamlet, CBSLA.com
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The weather over Los Angeles through most of Monday satirically emulated the recent state of the Dodgers -- dark clouds and gloom.
Chris Capuano gave up six runs through four innings as the Diamondbacks took advantage of a quiet Dodger lineup for their fifth straight win against Los Angeles, 9-2, dropping the Dodgers into last place in the National League West.
Capuano (0-2) got the start to open a three-game series against Arizona just hours after he was activated from the disabled list.
The 34-year-old right hander found himself in trouble in the second inning, after walking Gerardo Parra to load the bases with no outs. Juan Uribe then grabbed a hard grounder and tagged third, before getting Martin Prado in a pickle between third base and home for the double play.
On the next play, Diamondback pitcher Trevor Cahill got his first career extra base hit when he hit a line drive to left that Carl Crawford couldn't get to. To make matters worse, Crawford attempted to dive at the ball, and missed, allowing the ball to roll to the wall to score two runs to give Arizona a 2-1 lead.
Later in the inning, Capuano gave up an RBI double to A.J. Pollock --an unfortunate inning for the Dodgers after turning a bases-loaded double play.
Crawford made amends in the bottom of the third, when he led off with his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot to right field that brought the Dodgers within a run.
It was a small light in a lineup that has otherwise grown dark. Crawford's five home runs are more than Matt Kemp's and Andre Ethier's combined (four).
The Dodgers were in business later in the inning after Nick Punto and Adrian Gonzalez both singled with no outs.
However, as has plagued the Dodgers so far this season, they were unable to bring in any runs. Kemp grounded to third and reached on a fielder's choice, and then Cahill showed his baseball smarts on the mound.
Andre Ethier lined right back to Cahill, who seemed to grab the ball in flight, before letting it drop. He was then able to double up Kemp and Ethier to end the inning.
The fifth inning provided an amount of controversy. Didi Gregorius hit a routine fly ball to left, which Carl Crawford caught. However, Crawford dropped the ball while transitioning to his throwing hand, and Gregorius was awarded first base. Don Mattingly came out to argue the call but was unsuccessful.
Then Capuano seemed to collapse.
Paul Goldschmidt connected to launch a towering home run to center, and the next batter, Cody Ross, blasted a ball deep into the second section of the Left Field Pavilion. Capuano was lifted having given up three runs in the inning before recording an out.
Kemp summed up the Dodgers' struggles of the young season in the bottom of the eighth inning, when he tried to stretch a single into a double. He was tagged out easily before getting close to the bag.
The Dodgers ended up batting 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
"We don't deserve to win the game," Mattingly told reporters after the game.
The club is also dealing with negative news, after officially placing second baseman Mark Ellis on the 15-day disabled list. Ellis has been one of the only players producing from the plate, batting .342 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.
Shortstop Hanley Ramirez is also back on the DL after a strained left hamstring sustained at AT&T Park in San Francisco -- the same ballpark where he tore a ligament in his thumb during the World Baseball Classic before the season started.
The team is has been feeling the sting of his loss ever since.
Ramirez started just three games after being activated from the DL. During those three games, Ramirez hit .455 with a home run, two doubles, and a pair of runs.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers are still looking for something, anything, to clear up the clouds, and get a look at that LA sky that is normally clear this time of year.
