D-backs take down Dodgers on Jake Lamb's grand slam
PHOENIX -- The Los Angeles Dodgers can't win them all, not when Jake Lamb hits a grand slam against one of the game's better left-handed relievers.
Lamb was batting .143 against lefties when he came to bat against Tony Watson with the bases loaded and launched one off the right field foul pole in the seventh inning to rally the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-3 victory Tuesday night.
The Dodgers had intentionally walked A.J. Pollock to get to Lamb, and Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts took the outcome with no regrets.
"I love the matchup. I loved it," Roberts said. "As good as Jake is, I will take Tony against him any day."
Except Lamb won this day.
"I've been working quite a bit on the lefties," he said. "Like I said, it's one at bat. I want to keep improving."
Lamb's second career grand slam, and first against a left-hander, sent the Dodgers to just their eighth loss in their last 52 games. He also had a solo home run in the sixth inning.
"So it was a pretty special night," Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. "The Dodgers roll into town with tremendous momentum and I think we played one of our better games in quite some time, and not just all the obvious things."
Justin Turner homered twice for the Dodgers, who led 3-2 entering the bottom of the seventh. Chris Iannetta had a solo home run for the Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers lost for just the fourth time in 29 games since July 4.
Closer Fernando Rodney, who blew a three-run lead in a 5-4 loss at the Dodgers on July 6, threw a scoreless ninth for his 26th save in 31 tries.
That loss a month ago completed a three-game sweep of one-run Arizona losses in the series.
"We remember them," Lovullo said. "We're still smarting from them, and I think that it's motivating these guys. I know it motivates me."
David Hernandez (2-0) got the final out in seventh inning to get the victory.
Iannetta led off the seventh with a single off Brandon Morrow and Kenta Maeda struck out.
With left-handed batting Chris Herrmann announced as a pinch hitter, Roberts brought in the lefty Watson, leading Lovullo to replace Herrmann with righty Adam Rosales.
Rosales was hit by a pitch and, with two outs, Pollock was walked intentionally and bring up Lamb against Watson, a former closer acquired in a trade deadline deal with Pittsburgh.
Lamb's homer came on a 1-2 count.
"It was a hanging slider," Watson said. "It was the second one of the AB. He let me slide on the first one. He is no going to let me get by on two of them. He's going to make me pay."
Pedro Baez relieved Kenta Maeda in the sixth and promptly gave up an opposite-field home run to Lamb to cut the lead to 3-2.
Yasiel Puig robbed J.D. Martinez of what would have been a game-tying home run with a soaring grab above the right field fence in the sixth inning.
EMOTIONAL ARCHIE
Archie Bradley shut down the Dodgers in the eighth inning then shouted "This is our house" as he stormed off the mound.
"It was nothing disrespectful to the Dodgers," Bradley said. ` `It was just the emotions coming out of me. I want to win and I want our fans to be here to back us. I don't like seeing blue in the stands."
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NO WEST
Umpire Joe West was to have worked the Dodgers-Diamondbacks series but was suspended for three games for comments he made about Texas third baseman Adrian Beltre.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (back) threw aggressively from flat ground before the game and Roberts said he expects the left-handed ace to throw a bullpen session when the team returns to Los Angeles to face San Diego over the weekend. ... C Austin Barnes was out of the lineup after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand Sunday against the New York Mets. X-rays were negative and Roberts said he could be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray, in the concussion protocol, threw 28 pitches in a bullpen session on Monday and played catch on Tuesday. Lovullo said Anthony Banda would make Ray's scheduled start against the Dodgers on Thursday.
UP NEXT
In a matchup of two of the NL's most successful pitchers, RHP Rich Hill (13-1, 2.33 ERA) goes for the Dodgers and RHP ace Zack Greinke (13-4, 3.10) for the Diamondbacks in the second game of the three-game series.
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