Los Angeles opened the game with early chances but could not turn most of them into runs. The Dodgers collected two hits in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position, yet neither one drove in a run. Shohei Ohtani was held at second on Andy Pages’ deep double in the third inning, as the ball nearly was caught in center field. Los Angeles did score its lone run in that inning, but it came on a groundout rather than a hit.
The other missed opportunity came in the second inning, when Miguel Rojas reached on an infield single with runners in scoring position, moving two baserunners up 90 feet and loading the bases. Even with those chances, the Dodgers did not produce a big inning. Through this season, 22 of the team’s 137 hits with runners in scoring position have failed to bring in a run, a rate of 16.1 percent. That is close to the MLB average of 16.4 percent, showing that such missed opportunities are not unusual across the league.
What stood out more was how quickly the Dodgers’ offense disappeared after the first three innings. All eight of their at-bats with runners in scoring position came before the fourth inning, and they did not mount a serious threat over the final six innings of the game. Despite the quiet offense, Los Angeles still carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth.
That lead did not last. Arizona answered with home runs in three straight innings, using power to erase the deficit and take control. The Diamondbacks were hitless in two at-bats with runners in scoring position, both in the first inning, but they found another way to score. Their ability to capitalize on mistakes with the long ball proved decisive.
The Dodgers have now allowed three home runs in a game five times this season, and they have never surrendered more than that in one contest. One of those games was last Tuesday’s blowout win over the Colorado Rockies, when Miguel Rojas gave up two of the three homers after entering with a 14-run lead. Even with the occasional power outburst allowed, Los Angeles has managed to win three of the five games in which it surrendered three home runs.
Offensively, the Dodgers have also been dangerous when they connect for power. They are 12-0 this season when hitting at least three home runs, including four such wins in the past week. Across Major League Baseball this year, teams that allow at least three homers are winning only .238 of those games, and teams that allow exactly three home runs are winning at a .279 clip.
Eric Lauer’s recent Dodgers debut followed a similar pattern, as he allowed one home run and one run overall in a lopsided win over Colorado. At the time Toronto traded him to Los Angeles, he led the American League with 11 home runs allowed. Tuesday’s opposing starter, right-hander Michael Soroka, has given up four home runs in 11 starts this season. Two of those came at Chase Field, where he has posted a strong 1.57 ERA in 34 1/3 innings.
