LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers’ bullpen seemed to stabilize over the past week. Hunter Wendelstedt and Kyle Schwarber shook things up again.
A questionable call by the veteran umpire at third base led to a five-run sixth inning as the Philadelphia Phillies came from behind to beat the Dodgers, 9-4, on Wednesday night with Schwarber hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs.
“He missed the call,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the pivotal play in the sixth inning. “This might be the first time I’ve ever said that it was an egregious missed call.
“That changed the game.”
The Phillies barged through the door opened by Wendelstedt’s decision and took two of three games in the series matching the teams with the National League’s best records. Wednesday’s loss and another win by the Arizona Diamondbacks (the 17th in their past 21 games) cut the Dodgers’ lead in the NL West to just three games, the smallest it has been since April 25.
“I think part of it is getting guys back, that’s one part of it,” said Roberts, who watched from his office after being ejected in the sixth inning. “We set a bar here where you have to play good to play for us. We’re in a pennant race and the bar for performance has got to be high for us. We have to get these guys back and the best guys are going to play, that’s just the way it goes.”
Three RBIs from Freddie Freeman helped the Dodgers build a 4-1 lead after just two innings Wednesday. The Phillies’ lone run came on a leadoff home run by Schwarber – who had also homered in his ninth-inning at-bat Tuesday night.
Gavin Stone worked his way into the fifth inning after that, but he gave up a two-run double to Schwarber and was pulled by Roberts with the lead trimmed to 4-3.
Stone has completed five innings just twice in his past six starts. Even with Wednesday’s minimized damage, his ERA over that stretch is 6.59.
Alex Vesia closed out the fifth inning and came back for the sixth only to give up a leadoff double to Alec Bohm. Looking to move the tying run 90 feet closer to home, Brandon Marsh bunted to the left side with Bohm running. Third baseman Kiké Hernandez charged and fielded the ball, fumbling it briefly before throwing to shortstop Miguel Rojas who was hustling over to cover third base.
Rojas clearly beat Bohm to the base, handled the throw while back-pedaling and slapped a tag on him before Bohm’s foot could get to the base. But Wendelstedt immediately pointed to the ground and waved the play off, calling Rojas for interfering with Bohm’s path to the base.
“Even right after the play I was upset, because I knew that I didn’t do anything wrong to obstruct the bag or anything like that,” Rojas said. “I was just trying to catch the ball and make a play. And when you’re running towards a target, trying to catch a ball and trying to get your feet situated to make a play, you never expect the umpire is looking to be the hero there, and trying to make a call just because we got a rule in place.
“It was disappointing. And what was a little more disappointing is when I’m trying to get an explanation, and the guy started screaming at me, that we vote for that play, that we never did that.”
The interference rule was modified this year – without a players’ union vote. Crew chief Marvin Hudson answered questions after the game and pointed to the new rule.
“He was in front of the bag without the ball. And that’s the new obstruction rule,” Hudson said. “Plus, he was running in front of him to third. He was in front of third without the ball. So he obstructed the runner. The runner didn’t have a lane to get to the bag.”
Video replays showed there was some contact between Bohm’s lead leg and Rojas’ left foot, but it also showed a path to the base was available to Bohm as Rojas back-pedaled. The interference call is not a reviewable play that teams can challenge.
“He’s gotta have the ball before he can get in front of the bag,” Hudson repeated. “That’s the new rule this year.”
Wendelstedt shook off Rojas’ argument and ejected Roberts from the game when he left the dugout to protest.
“As I saw the replay, Miggy fielded the baseball about a foot inside the bag, two feet in front of the bag and did give Bohm a lane because his legs were spread wide with the glove making the tag,” Roberts said. “The spirit of the rule was to deter infielders from blocking the bag, not giving the baserunner a lane or a spot towards a bag and potentially hurting a baserunner.
“That play changed the complexion of the game. He got it wrong. That’s just a fact. Again, umpiring is hard. They do a great job. Tonight that play affected the game.”
Joe Kelly replaced Vesia but the tying run scored on the next play – a grounder chopped toward third that Hernandez made an outstanding play on to get the out at first base.
Two walks loaded the bases and a wild pitch brought in the go-ahead run. Then Schwarber struck again, driving a three-run home run 426 feet into the right field pavilion to complete the five-run explosion.
“We can’t walk (Nick) Castellanos on four pitches. We can’t walk (Johan) Rojas in front of Schwarber,” Roberts said. “You can’t do it. You can’t do it.”
Kelly did and his ERA for the season is now 5.23.
“Close game and the command wasn’t what I wanted, especially with a power hitter like that,” Kelly said. “I threw a good changeup in the beginning of that at-bat, but that two-strike changeup, obviously it was up. I’ve been feeling good, just different little things here and there that kind of bite you in the butt.”
After their quick start, the Dodgers’ offense took the night off. They had five hits in the first two innings – three in the next seven.
Schwarber’s third home run of the night came in the ninth inning off Michael Grove. Schwarber reached base five times in the game – three home runs, a double and a walk – and drove in seven runs.
“We have to be better,” Roberts said. “But they took advantage and we couldn’t contain Schwarber tonight. He was a one-man wrecking crew.”
Dave Roberts on the obstruction call: "It needs to be reviewable. That play changed the complexion of the game. And he got it wrong, that's just the fact." pic.twitter.com/R3Y7MyQ70b
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 8, 2024
"It's unfortunate that an umpire can change the narrative of a game and a series." Miguel Rojas discusses the obstruction call at third base. pic.twitter.com/EnJUWrB2Uk
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 8, 2024
Welcome back, Miggy! pic.twitter.com/JbKSp8rzhw
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 8, 2024
Freddie knocks in a pair with a bloop single!#Dodgers 4, #Phillies 1 pic.twitter.com/MzZz6T29Pa
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 8, 2024
.@Phillies fans, can we interest you in a Kyle Schwarber leadoff tank? pic.twitter.com/mZq60hX8qA
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2024
2 HOME RUNS
6 RBIKyle Schwarber is going off tonight pic.twitter.com/WzL2YfJMQy
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2024
A THREE-HOMER GAME FOR KYLE SCHWARBER pic.twitter.com/xI8N5CxuI1
— MLB (@MLB) August 8, 2024
