The Dodgers dugout sat in quiet despondency.
A Dodgers fan two rows behind him rose to his toes and commenced to bow.
Across the bases in entrance of them was the membership's new enemy No. 1, a decent MLB slugger who immediately comes throughout as a cross between Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth throughout journeys to Dodger Stadium lately.
Christian Walker had the Dodgers quantity once more.
For the second straight evening, he hit two house runs to guide the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 9-3 win within the rubber sport at Chavez Ravine.
“Clearly,” Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts sighed after the sport, “he feels actually good within the field towards us.”
Getting into this week, Walker already had a repute as a Dodgers killer. In 87 video games towards them, he hit 22 house runs and picked up 50 RBI. His numbers towards franchise icon Clayton Kershaw had been notably good, with a .294 batting common towards the longer term Corridor of Famer.
“I’ve some ideas,” Kershaw, who stays sidelined after offseason shoulder surgical procedure, instructed reporters Thursday afternoon about how the group would possibly neutralize Walker within the sequence finale. “For our guys, not for you.
No matter Kershaw thought, it didn't cease Walker.
After hitting one house run in Tuesday's sequence opener, then two extra in Wednesday's rout of the Dodgers, Walker continued his weekly tear with one other blast, taking his place among the many Dodgers' most feared foes. Since 2002, Walker's 19 house runs at Dodger Stadium are tied for many by a visiting participant, tied with former Diamondbacks star Paul Goldschmidt. Amongst visiting gamers with at the least 100 plate appearances in that span, Walker's .783 slugging proportion is first, whereas his .341 batting common is second.
Arizona's Christian Walker rounds third base after hitting a house run within the first inning towards the Dodgers on Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Instances)
Each of Walker's house runs Thursday got here off rookie starter Landon Knack.
Within the first inning, Walker adopted Joc Pederson's house run with a solo blast, blasting a two-strike fastball within the backside of the zone. Within the third inning, Walker laced a two-out double to deep left to open a 4-0 lead after Knack's hanging changeup was left over the plate.
“We simply don't play effectively towards him,” Roberts mentioned. “That's simply the conclusion.
Probably the most telling second of Walker's Dodgers dominance might have come within the fifth. With a runner on second, two outs and left-handed reliever Anthony Banda on the mound, Roberts raised 4 fingers from the dugout.
Deliberate stroll.
To a hitter who’s batting .257 with a .788 on-base plus slugging proportion in stadiums aside from Dodger Stadium this yr.
“After we're going via it, it goes a bit deeper,” Roberts mentioned of the group's frustrations with Walker, which was solely amplified by the gang's sarcastic cheers after the stroll.
“It's Babe Ruth towards us,” the supervisor added.
Whereas Walker drew yet another stroll the remainder of the evening — he completed two-for-three and eight-for-13 with 5 house runs and 9 RBIs on Thursday — his contributions had been sufficient to provide the Diamondbacks the sequence win.
Dodgers beginning pitcher Landon Knack sits alone within the dugout through the fourth inning Thursday.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Instances)
The Dodgers scored three runs within the fourth inning on a groundout by Kika Hernández and a two-run single by Austin Barnes to chop it to 4-3. However after Freddie Freeman's groundout within the fifth helped the Diamondbacks double their lead, Arizona shut the door on the ultimate 5 innings as its lineup plated 4 insurance coverage runs within the ninth.
“We confirmed how we're going to must defend,” outfielder Jason Heyward mentioned of the group's play over the previous week, which noticed its back-to-back streak dropped for the primary time since late Might. “We're going to have to determine methods to try this and climate the storm.”
The larger concern for the Dodgers was Heyward, who left after two innings with a sore left knee.
On Pederson's first-inning house run, Heyward injured his knee after diving into the wall. Roberts mentioned Heyward is unlikely to play Friday and is scheduled for an MRI.
Dodgers proper fielder Jason Heyward can't attain a house run hit by Arizona's Joc Pederson within the first inning of the Dodgers' 9-3 loss on Thursday. Heyward later left the sport with knee soreness.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Instances)
“As quickly as I landed I felt as if a kind of trusts had fallen; it occurred quick,” Heyward mentioned. “I put my toes down and I used to be like 'OK, this isn't nice'… You simply have to attend and see.”
Heyward struck out only one batter and singled within the first. The veteran is slumping, simply three for 35 in his final 12 video games.
Nonetheless, the veteran stays a key a part of the outfield platoon, taking part in most days in proper area given the opposition's heavy dose of right-handed pitchers. Any prolonged absence may solely exacerbate the Dodgers' rising must bolster their depth forward of the July 30 commerce deadline.
Followers watch the 4th of July fireworks at Dodger Stadium after Thursday's sport.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Instances)
The group's sudden 2-4 slide — even accounting for Walker's dominance — highlighted that dynamic sufficient by itself.
“We couldn't do something after that one large inning,” Roberts mentioned, earlier than bluntly assessing his group's previous week: “It's not fairly.”
