by Cary Osborne
Arizona relief pitcher Thyago Vieira left a lasting image and with it a sound that could echo into late August when the Dodgers next play the Diamondbacks.
Vieira struck out Dodger pitch hitter Cavan Biggio to end Thursday’s game at Dodger Stadium and then beat his chest with open-handed slaps and let out a celebratory yell, a similar display to Yoan Lopez’s strikeout of then Dodger Joc Pederson in 2019.
The Dodgers lost 9–3 on Thursday, dropping two of three to the Diamondbacks in the three-game series. The Dodgers also fell to 4–5 against the team who beat them in the National League Division Series last year. The Dodgers finish the season series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona Aug. 30-Sept. 2.
The Dodgers have a 6 ½ game lead in the NL West over the Padres and a 9 ½ game lead over the Diamondbacks.
“The division’s certainly not a given, and I don’t think we feel that way,” said manager Dave Roberts. “That’s a good team over there.”
Less about the Diamondbacks and more about the Dodgers, the consensus is the Dodgers are not playing quality baseball right now. They have now lost two of three in consecutive series against division rivals — first the Giants and now the Diamondbacks.
No Dodger starter has completed five innings in the six games and they have combined to allow 25 runs in 24 innings.
“It’s not pretty,” Roberts said. “I think it starts with starting pitching. To go out there and play from behind is hard. To not get length gets a little bit more taxing on the pen. Tomorrow we got Glass, and it’s going to be a big series.”
The Dodgers begin a three-game series with NL Central-leading Milwaukee with Tyler Glasnow getting the start.
The Dodger lineup will be without right fielder Jason Heyward. Heyward jammed his knee when he came down trying to rob a home run from Pederson in the first inning on Thursday. He said he will get imaging on Friday and that the soreness is on the outside of the knee.
“With the body you just got to wait and see,” Heyward said. “But this particular position and spot I haven’t felt before.”
The Dodgers were bullied in the series by first baseman Christian Walker and former Dodger Joc Pederson.
Pederson and Walker hit back-to-back home runs off rookie starter Landon Knack in the first inning. Walker hit a two-run home run in the third inning, scoring Pederson and giving the Diamondbacks a 4–0 lead at the time.
Walker homered in all three games of the series with five total home runs and nine RBI. He now has 19 career home runs at Dodger Stadium in 42 games.
Pederson also homered on Tuesday. He scored four runs in the series.
The Dodgers ended Arizona ace Zac Gallen’s night after four innings in which he allowed three runs. But the Arizona bullpen allowed two baserunners over the final five innings with eight strikeouts, including Vieira striking out the side in the ninth.
Dodgers drop second straight series to a division rival was originally published in Dodger Insider on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.