Arizona Diamondbacks claim series victory vs. Dodgers in LA

LOS ANGELES — Momentum during a baseball season can sometimes be found in the most unlikely of places. The Diamondbacks can only hope they managed to catch some this week at Dodger Stadium.

The Diamondbacks blanked the Dodgers, 6-0, on Wednesday night to claim a series victory over the team with the second-best record in the National League. For a Diamondbacks team that all but stumbled into the week — and had struggling pitchers scheduled to start two of the three games — it was an outcome that was hard to see coming.

Christian Walker blasted another homer in this ballpark. Ketel Marte extended his hit streak to 21 games with a first-inning single and added a solo homer later in the game. Corbin Carroll laced his third triple in the past five games to open the scoring.

Though the Diamondbacks won both games they played in this ballpark during the division series last October, this was their first regular-season series victory at Dodger Stadium since April 2018 and their first shutout here since September 2017.

The Diamondbacks, at 24-26, are hoping it serves as the jumpstart they need to get rolling.

“We’ve been looking for something like this,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “We have been playing better baseball over the past two or three weeks ... We have to continue marching on, but I think this is a good push for us, for sure.”

Said Walker: “These are the series wins that you can take some momentum, for sure.”

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For the second time in three games, the Diamondbacks employed an opener before going to their regularly scheduled starter in relief. It did not go well on Monday, when Slade Cecconi was tagged for six runs in the third inning. But the plans worked out the way the Diamondbacks drew them up on Wednesday, with right-hander Ryne Nelson entering the game three batters into the first inning and turning in a strong performance.

Nelson had to work out of a handful of jams, but he got through five innings without allowing a run. He allowed five hits and walked three, striking out five.

The night might have been different were it not for an impressive catch by Carroll to take extra bases away from Dodgers star Mookie Betts to lead off the bottom of the first. Betts drove a ball to the wall off opener Brandon Hughes that Carroll snagged before banging into the fence.

“My mom just sent me a video that they got me eating seeds on the play,” Carroll said. “I thought that was kind of funny.

“You don’t want them to get momentum early, get the stadium involved. He got it pretty good, but he hit it high enough that I was able to get back there, assess the wall and make the play.”

The Diamondbacks’ offense broke through against Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow in the fifth. With Gabriel Moreno (walk) and Kevin Newman (single) aboard with one out, Carroll shot a breaking ball into right-center field for a two-run triple, then scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat.

While the Diamondbacks kept adding on runs — they scored once in the sixth and twice more in the eighth — it was more than the pitching staff needed against a Dodgers lineup that was relatively well contained over the past few days outside of Cecconi’s troubles on Monday.

The Diamondbacks fared relatively well against the dangerous top of the Dodgers’ order. Freddie Freeman blasted a grand slam that helped the Dodgers win on Monday night, but he went hitless the next two games. Betts went just 2 for 10, and while Shohei Ohtani was 4 for 11, he had just one extra-base hit and one RBI.

“I thought we controlled them as good as we possibly could have,” Lovullo said. “You can’t totally shut them down. There’s just no way. They’re just too good. I think the matching up we did with the opener gave us a little positive push in that area.”

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Walker’s blast was his 14th at Dodger Stadium in his career, all coming since the start of 2018. According to MLB.com researcher Sarah Langs, that gives him three more home runs than any other visiting player in that span.

Walker said he likes hitting at Dodger Stadium, and wonders if there might be something to be said about rising to the occasion or getting amped up for the big crowds. Ultimately, though, he seemed content to chalk it up as inexplicable.

“I don’t think there is a thing; I don’t think there’s a reason,” he said. “I think it’s just one of those funny baseball things.”

Said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: "He's one of my favorite players to watch. He just plays the game the right way. He uses the whole field. He doesn't give away pitches. He plays defense — he's a Gold Glover — runs the bases. Yeah, he's one of the guys that I really respect as a ballplayer. You just don't like it when he's in the batter's box."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks grab some momentum with series win over Dodgers