Dodgers fall to Arizona on walk-off homer as

PHOENIX — From the crack of the bat and the trajectory of the ball, it was immediately clear that the Dodgers had discovered a new approach to lose.

Dodgers nearer Edwin Díaz hung a slider over the plate to Arizona’s Ryan Waldschmidt, and he despatched it over the left-center area wall for a two-run, walk-off homer in a 4-3 win that despatched the Dodgers to a season-worst seventh straight loss.

“I’ve got to find it tonight, tomorrow when I come to the field,” Díaz said of his slider, which hasn’t been almost as efficient as normal this season. “Because that’s my pitch. I got a good fastball, but my slider is the strikeout pitch. And today, I missed with two strikes. … I’m still positive. I’m always positive. Just got to do my job better and help the team to win.”

For the first time in a long time, an in-division matchup felt prefer it had real stakes.

The Dodgers’ latest skid dropped their National League West lead into single digits for the first time in over a month. They are now only 7½ video games forward of the second-place Diamondbacks in the division.

They also now have the fourth-best document in the majors (69-47), falling behind the Brewers (72-44) and Braves (70-46) and Rays (69-46).

“A week ago, it looked a lot different,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts said. “And another week from now, it could look even more different. So you’ve just got to put your head down and play baseball.”

They did, at least, have a better document than last season (67-49) at the 116-game mark. But the Dodgers would favor to, in contrast to last yr, at least earn a first-round bye, and ideally home-field benefit throughout the playoffs.

Their efficiency Friday despatched them in the incorrect direction.

“A loss is a loss, but to get walked off never feels good,” Roberts said. “We didn’t play a clean game, a great game on either side of the baseball, but we did enough to put ourselves in a position to win a game, and unfortunately, we couldn’t finish it.”

The Dodgers went hitless against Diamondbacks beginning pitcher Merrill Kelly for the first 5 innings. Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani both drew walks, as the Dodgers’ only baserunners before the sixth — and Ohtani was thrown out trying to steal second to end the third inning.

Finally, main off the sixth, Tommy Edman — who three innings prior was robbed of a home run on a leaping grab by Diamondbacks proper fielder Corbin Carroll — broke up Kelly’s no-hit bid with a sharp infield hit.

Kelly picked off Edman at first base, but Hunter Feduccia adopted with a single of his own, the catcher’s first hit since rejoining the Dodgers at the commerce deadline.

Ohtani and Andy Pages both drew walks to load the bases. And the Dodgers finally scored on a groundball fielder’s selection from Freddie Freeman. That single run was all they received out of the inning.

Dodgers beginning pitcher Roki Sasaki held the Diamondbacks to two runs in six innings. He surrendered a solo homer to Arizona third baseman Nolan Arenado in the second and an RBI triple to Geraldo Perdomo in the fifth. But he only gave up two other hits.

“The split wasn’t as good as it has been, but he did a fine job,” Roberts said. “He really did, and it’s good to see him, even when his best pitch isn’t there, still go out there and finding ways to get through six innings and put us in a good spot to win.”

With both starters out by the seventh (Kelly exited with two outs in the sixth because of cramping in his proper leg), the Dodgers orchestrated a comeback — and then gave up the lead.

Edman drove in the tying run, too, lining a single to left for the Dodgers’ third hit of the inning off Diamondbacks right-hander Taylor Clarke in the seventh. But the Dodgers failed to flip a bases-loaded scenario into a crooked quantity when Ohtani grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The next inning, Pages gave the Dodgers the lead with a solo homer off Diamondbacks lefty Brandyn Garcia.

The Diamondbacks threatened against Dodgers setup man Tanner Scott. But he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the eighth by profitable a 12-pitch at-bat against Arenado, who scored a number of foul balls down the left-field line before placing out.

Scott’s fastball velocity was down 1.5 mph under his season average, the second such dip in his last three outings. The pattern was regarding enough for Roberts to make notice of it after the sport.

“It took him [24] pitches to get through it,” Roberts said. “But big pitch against Arenado to get through it.”

Díaz wasn’t so fortunate.

Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz delivers against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning Friday.

(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)

The eight-pitch leadoff stroll he issued got here back to hang-out him when, with one out, in a 2-2 rely, he missed his spot on a slider to Waldschmidt.

“I got to be better with that,” Díaz said, noting that his supply has improved since his last outing. “I’m a big-league pitcher, so I’ve got to make pitches. So next time when I come into the game, I’ve got to do better.”

It was Díaz’s first blown save since returning from April arthroscopic elbow surgical procedure. But he’s given up runs in three of his last 4 outings.

Roberts wasn’t prepared to shake up bullpen roles based on what he noticed.

“You’ve also got to look at the options, and see the way some of these guys are throwing, they’re not throwing great, either,” he said. “So we’ve got to … keep guys in their roles that they’ve earned, and [try] to lane guys up and try to get them on a run back the way we were a few weeks ago. So I just don’t think right now there’s a clear-cut alternative.”

Bubic visits with staff

Pitcher Kris Bubic throws during a recreation between the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners on May 3.

(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)

Trade-deadline acquisition Kris Bubic, who is rehabbing at the Dodgers’ Arizona complicated, is taking benefit of the chance to be around the staff this weekend at Chase Field.

“It’s been a whirlwind the last couple days,” Bubic said. “Obviously, I had been with Kansas City the whole time since I was drafted. I’ve been there my whole big-league career. I’d been on the shelf for a little bit now, but to hear I was getting traded over here was pretty exciting.

“The roster speaks for itself. The success speaks for itself. The opportunity to be a part of this, to learn from these guys, all the coaches on the staff and whatnot, it’s going to be an exciting time. I’m really looking forward to getting started.”

Bubic initially landed on the injured checklist in mid-May with a low-grade flexor pressure in his left forearm, he specified. While working back from that injury, he had setbacks with an impingement in his left shoulder.

Because he has an injury historical past with both his elbow (2023 Tommy John surgical procedure) and shoulder (2025 rotator cuff pressure), the Royals didn’t rush him back. Bubic said he had a cortisone injection on July 1 and then threw off a mound on Sunday.

“I’m kind of itching to get back going,” he said. “But I know talking with the staff here they’ve got a pretty good plan. I’m expected to come out of the ‘pen in some capacity. At this point, I’m looking forward to getting back on the field and helping this team down the stretch.”

Bubic said the Dodgers have already introduced him with a couple mechanical tweaks. He hopes to start a minor-league rehab task around the end of the month or starting of September.

Homestand plan

The Dodgers plan to pitch two-time Cy Young winners in back-to-back video games against the Royals when they return to Los Angeles next week.

On Monday, Tarik Skubal is scheduled to make his first home start at Dodger Stadium, and second with the Dodgers since being acquired in a commerce with the Detroit Tigers. On Wednesday, Blake Snell is set to return from the IL for his second start of the season, his first since May.