Missed chances stack up in loss to Blue Jays

July 25th, 2023

LOS ANGELES -- With the All-Star break and a three-city road trip to start the second half of the season, the Dodgers went almost three weeks without playing a game at Dodger Stadium. They weren’t able to take advantage of opportunities in their return home.

Over the last few weeks, the Dodgers have thrived, often doing the little things to win games. But in a 6-3 loss to the Blue Jays in 11 innings on Monday, it was Toronto that made the necessary plays down the stretch to win the game.

“I thought it was a good ballgame,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I thought we have a chance to get to [Jay] Jackson. We couldn’t cash in. [Chris Taylor], sure-handed, [but] didn’t make the play there. … I thought Jason [Heyward] had a do-or-die play and just couldn’t come up with it. But that’s not the reason why we didn’t win.”

There wasn’t one particular reason to pinpoint why the Dodgers lost on Monday, but the overall performance wasn't nearly as solid as they’ve grown accustomed to over the last month.

Offensively, the Dodgers, who have been good in situational hitting all season long, went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, leaving 12 men on base. In the eighth, Miguel Rojas flied out to right field to leave the bases loaded. After Ryan Brasier tossed a scoreless 10th inning, the Dodgers failed to get the winning run across as Max Muncy -- who homered in the eighth -- struck out, Heyward flied out to deep left and Taylor grounded out weakly to third.

“Jason had a couple [at-bats with runners in scoring position] and hit the ball hard. David [Peralta] had a couple at-bats with runners in scoring position, swung the bat well and didn’t get anything for it,” Roberts said. “I think there were a couple in there that could’ve flipped. But I think it’s under the category of it’s baseball.”

Defense was among the biggest issues on Monday, particularly a throwing error by Taylor that opened the door for the Blue Jays in the 11th. It looked like Phil Bickford was going to get a quick first out on a grounder, but instead it helped the Blue Jays apply more pressure.

Two batters after Taylor's miscue, Heyward had a tough play in right field on Daulton Varsho's hard-hit liner. Heyward said he knew it would be a do-or-die play, but the ball got past him and allowed the Blue Jays to score two decisive runs.

“That’s a tough one. I thought I could get to it. I needed to get to it,” Heyward said. “If I’m coaching the team, I’m telling my outfielder that’s one of those spots that when you talk about do-or-die, that’s the one. You have to go for it. You can’t leave it to chance. … Either way, I would love to be able to knock that one down and keep it in front of me and not have it go to the wall. [James Outman] did a great job backing me up. That’s on me.”

On the pitching side, Michael Grove got the start for the Dodgers and had some of his best stuff of the season, recording 15 swings and misses, all on his cutter and slider.

After the fourth inning, the Blue Jays asked the umpires to check Grove’s pants, which showed a patch of dirt that had accumulated with the combination of rosin, sweat and the dirt on the mound, all legal substances.

“I told him I didn’t want it to be a problem,” Grove said. “So I just came in and changed my pants.”

Once Grove went back out for the fifth, the Blue Jays were able to take advantage of some mistakes, putting together four singles against the young right-hander and plating two runs. Despite Grove not making it past the fifth and adding a bit more stress to the bullpen, it was another encouraging outing for him with the Trade Deadline looming and the Dodgers seeking rotation consistency.

“He put us in a position to win the game,” Roberts said. “What he’s done for us as he’s continued to grow, it’s really good.”