(TSX / STATS) — LOS ANGELES — Considering the Los Angeles Dodgers recently won a game by scoring five runs on four wild pitches, the way Saturday’s contest against the Kansas City Royals ended hardly seemed unusual.
Tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 10th inning, the Dodgers drew four consecutive walks from Royals relievers Scott Alexander (three) and Kelvin Herrera (one) to collect a 5-4 victory. All came on a 3-2 pitch.
Chase Utley, Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Clay Bellinger walked the line to first to give the Dodgers their 60th victory of the season and 25th in their last 29 games.
Bellinger had a double in the third and a game-tying home run in the eighth, his 25th of the season and first in 11 games. He’s the second-fastest player in major league history to hit 25 home runs in his career, doing it in 69 games. The record is 25 in 67 by Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu.
“We like to work counts against certain pitchers. It’s just good execution,” Bellinger said. “I missed my pitch on a 3-1 fastball, then he came inside with a slider. We put extra focus on what to expect from Herrera because we knew we’d face him in a tough situation.
“Four walks is pretty crazy, but we always think we can find a way to win in those situations.”
“You take a win however you get it,” Seager said.
The Royals spotted the Dodgers a 3-0 lead with two of the runs coming on Joc Pederson’s ninth home run of the season in the second. The Royals put up a picket fence, solo runs in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, to take a 4-3 lead, the last coming on catcher Salvador’s Perez’s 18th home run of the season.
Bellinger tied it in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for the walkathon.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a four-walk walk-off,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Scott (Alexander) didn’t have his usual command, and we put Kelvin in a tough situation, just hoping to get a strikeout and then a double play.”
A called strike bothered the Royals earlier. They had a run in and the bases loaded in the seventh with one out when Pedro Baez struck out Lorenzo Cain looking on a 2-2 fastball. Baez then got Eric Hosmer to ground out.
Cain got into an argument over the called strike with home plate umpire Bill Miller as he was coming on the field in the bottom of seventh, and was ejected.
“It was hard to tell at the time,” Yost said. “It looked a few inches off on replay. Lorenzo has a great eye. He can tell. If he thought it was off, then it was off.”
The Dodgers are 17-1 in their last 18 home games and 38-11 on the season. They became the third Dodgers team to win 60 or more games before the All-Star break.
The Royals dropped their second game after coming to town with six wins in their last seven games. They’re 18-8 in their last 26 contests.
Dodgers starter Brandon McCarthy went six innings, allowing two runs, six hits, two walks and a wild pitch. He got out of a three-hit third with one run thanks to Pederson throwing out Jorge Bonifacio at home, and endured a touch of wildness that led to a run in the fifth.
Royals starter Ian Kennedy allowed seven hits and three runs but stranded four runners in scoring position. He retired 11 of last 13 batters he faced.
Whit Merrifield, Bonifacio, Hosmer, Perez and Alcides Escobar each had two hits for the Royals. Merrifield doubled and score the second Royals run and drove in the third.
NOTES: Dodgers C Yasmani Grandal left the game in the seventh with a hand contusion. … Dodger OF Scott Van Slyke was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to make room on the roster for Saturday’s starter, Brandon McCarthy, who was activated from the disabled list. … Dodgers 2B Chase Utley became the ninth active player with 1,000 career RBIs after a RBI double Friday night. The stoic infielder said the milestone meant “I played on a lot of great teams.” Utley ranks in the top three in six categories among active second baseman — first in triples, second in home runs and RBI, and third in runs and hits. … Royals RHP Matt Strahm is scheduled to undergo surgery this week to repair a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. He’s been on the disabled list for a few weeks as the team studied the alternatives to season-ending surgery. … Royals RHP Nate Karns remains on the DL with thoracic outlet syndrome, a compressed nerve condition that causes pain and numbness in the shoulder and arm. He’s on the 60-day DL and hopes of him returning later this season appear doubtful.
