Dodgers Swept By Diamondbacks As They Sputter Into The All-star Break

The Dodgers needed to move things astir Sunday to wrap up nan unofficial first half connected a precocious note. Manager Dave Roberts said arsenic overmuch nan nighttime before.

“When you springiness teams free bases, other outs, it’s difficult to triumph a game, sloppy of nan opponent,” he said. “Emmet [Sheehan] needs to spell retired location and propulsion nan shot good tomorrow. We’ve sewage to find a measurement to triumph a crippled tomorrow to consciousness somewhat amended astir going into nan [All-Star] break.”

Instead, nan Dodgers fell to nan Diamondbacks 5-3, swept successful a bid for nan first clip each season. It was Arizona’s first expanse astatine Dodger Stadium since September 2017.

Sheehan astatine slightest did his job, holding nan Diamondbacks to 2 runs successful 5⅓ innings.

It was clear from nan first at-bat that transportation count could limit really heavy he pitched. Sheehan won a 14-pitch conflict to onslaught retired Ketel Marte.

The right-hander past struck retired nan broadside and was businesslike capable to propulsion into nan sixth. He exited aft his transportation count reached 101.

Shohei Ohtani sparked nan discourtesy pinch his ninth leadoff location tally of nan play — his 22nd wide — connected a two-hit day.

Shohei Ohtani follows done connected a double during nan 3rd inning against nan Arizona Diamondbacks connected Sunday.

(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)

It wasn’t a cleanable protect crippled for nan Dodgers. In nan midst of nan Diamondbacks’ two-run fifth, All-Star halfway fielder Andy Pages tracked a agelong alert backmost to nan wall but missed nan drawback arsenic nan shot bounced disconnected his glove.

In nan sixth, nan tying tally scored erstwhile All-Star 3rd baseman Max Muncy’s propulsion to nan sheet deed Geraldo Perdomo successful nan backmost arsenic he ran home.

Regardless of immoderate of nan sloppiness, nan Dodgers person had a successful play going into nan break.

They person nan champion grounds successful nan fields (61-36) and a 11½-game lead successful nan NL West. They besides had six players selected arsenic All-Stars.

So, arsenic Major League Baseball pauses play and honors immoderate of nan champion first-half performers successful each league, now’s a bully clip to manus retired our ain first-half awards.