Collapse of Los Angeles Dodgers' relief pitchers in the eighth inning leads to defeat, concluding their journey versus Cleveland Guardians.
**CLEVELAND - An agonizing loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night was a bitter pill for the Los Angeles Dodgers to swallow, as they squandered a solid start by Clayton Kershaw and a late-game lead in a heartbreaking 7-4 defeat.
With their pitching staff shorthanded, the Dodgers had been hoping to secure a three-game sweep to cap off their East Coast trip. Kershaw, in his third outing back from offseason foot and knee surgeries, offered a productive five-inning, one-run effort. The team had a late advantage on a day that defied the ominous rainy forecast.
Despite their limited relief options, the Dodgers were confident given their recent alignment of key personnel. "We've got to win these games," manager Dave Roberts said.
Despite the optimistic outlook, the Dodgers failed to seal the deal, as they surrendered a five-run lead in the eighth inning. Tanner Scott, their struggling closer, yielded the first two runs, unable to shut down a barrage of ground ball singles and a walk. Left-hander Alex Vesia followed, ceding a three-run homer to Angel Martínez, dropping the Dodgers to a 3-3 record on their New York-Cleveland swing.
Scott had started off well, striking out Gabriel Arias to escape a jam in the seventh inning. But his track record of inconsistency resurfaced in this outing, as he failed to contain the Guardians' onslaught.
Jhonkensy Noel led off the eighth with a ground ball single up the middle, followed by Will Wilson's spinning three-hopper for another infield hit. Scott walked Daniel Schneemann in a left-on-left matchup to load the bases and subsequently surrendered a two-run single to Austin Hedges.
The decisive blow came when Vesia entered the game, giving up a three-run homer to Martínez. "Just gotta be better in those situations," Vesia acknowledged. Two runs were charged to Scott, swelling his ERA to 4.62 after just months into his $72-million contract with the team.
For Vesia, the homer marked the seventh he has surrendered this season, doubling his full-season totals from the previous two years. "Just my misses have been bad," Vesia concluded, "I've just gotta keep going and execute pitches a little better."
In the end, Kershaw was left with a no-decision, working through five innings, limiting damage, and overcoming self-described "bad habits" in his delivery. Despite navigating traffic and contributing to the Dodgers' 4-1 lead, the bullpen's collapse proved too much to overcome.
"It's sour in the sense of, you win the first two [games of this series] and you catch a lead going into the eighth inning," Roberts said. "You feel good about the game. I thought we did enough to win. But unfortunately, that eighth inning got away from us."
With this loss, the Dodgers finished their East Coast trip with a disappointing 3-3 record, marking a missed opportunity for a series sweep and valuable momentum. Despite their current injury-plagued roster, the team will need to find answers to avoid similar drama in the future.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers, despite a solid outing by Clayton Kershaw and a late lead, lost to the Cleveland Guardians in Los Angeles, as they dropped their East Coast trip finale in a heartbreaking 7-4 defeat.
- In California, the Dodgers were hopeful to secure a three-game sweep to end their East Coast trip, but their limited relief options failed, as they surrendered a five-run lead in the eighth inning during their matchup against the Guardians.
- Tanner Scott, the struggling closer for the Dodgers, yielded the first two runs in the eighth inning against the Guardians, and Alex Vesia followed by giving up a three-run homer to Angel Martinez, causing the Dodgers to finish their New York-Cleveland swing with a disappointing 3-3 record.
