Arizona Diamondbacks drop series to Yasiel Puig, Los Angeles Dodgers

LOS ANGELES -- The screaming line drive Yasiel Puig sent hurtling over the fence on Sunday afternoon represented an immediate strategic backfire in a critical moment, but even with the gun powder still fresh on the Diamondbacks' faces it was hard for anyone to second-guess them.

With a runner on third and noted tormenter Adrian Gonzalez due up in the sixth inning, the Diamondbacks made a decision that seemed rooted in self-preservation: Rather than challenge a hitter who so far this season was 12 for 27 (.423) against them, manager Kirk Gibson called for an intentional walk, bringing the combustible Puig to the plate with runners on the corners in a one-run game.

Two pitches later, Puig was rounding the bases, his three-run home run breaking open a game the Dodgers would go on to win 4-1, sending the Diamondbacks to another series loss in a season filled with them.

Gibson had no second thoughts about walking Gonzalez. Neither did right-hander Josh Collmenter, catcher Miguel Montero or even opposing manager Don Mattingly. Only Puig himself offered a counterpoint, doing so in his own head-scratching way.

Puig mentioned the Diamondbacks' desire to get a platoon advantage before saying, "It looks like the manager made the right call."

But, wait, didn't you hit a home run?

"I prepared well in my previous at-bat," Puig said. "If I hit a home run, maybe it was a bad decision."

The line drew laughs in the home clubhouse, but there were few of those on the visitors' side, where the Diamondbacks quietly packed for Chicago after finding another way to lose a game. This time, their pitching wasn't bad and they played fine defensively, but the offense managed just three hits, only one of which came with a man in scoring position.

If it's not one thing it's another with this team, which has already lost seven of eight games to the Dodgers and is 5-16 overall. Three weeks in and the Diamondbacks are eight games back in the National League West.

"In this whole series, the Dodgers, when they struck, they struck really hard and really fast," Gibson said. "We were just unable to make the pitches, and offensively we didn't have much going."

The outcome hinged on that sequence in the sixth inning. With one out and a man on first, Carl Crawford somehow hooked a pretty good pitch from Collmenter — it was a change-up, down and away — into the right-field corner for an RBI triple.

That brought up Gonzalez, who last weekend homered in three consecutive games against the Diamondbacks and who already had doubled in two previous at-bats against Collmenter.

"I have no problem pitching around him there," Collmenter said.

Said Mattingly: "I think you have to."

Said Montero: "It's definitely not an easy choice."

But after starting Puig off with a first-pitch fastball, Collmenter tried to come back inside with another heater, a pitch that he hoped would open up the outer edge of the plate for later in the at-bat. Instead, the fastball leaked over the plate, and Puig demolished it.

"That's really the only pitch I'd like back out of the whole thing," Collmenter said. "Each guy, there's pitches they can hit and there's pitches you can get them out on. So it's just a matter of playing the percentages. I knew exactly what I wanted to do to Puig. It just didn't happen."

The move didn't work out, but Gibson didn't sound like he wanted a mulligan.

"I think we did the right thing there," he said. "Just thought that if we made better pitches, we had a better chance of getting him out."

Dodgers 4, Diamondbacks 1

Recap: Yasiel Puig slammed a three-run homer and threw out a runner on the bases, and Josh Beckett and four relievers combined to three-hit the Diamondbacks as the Dodgers recorded a victory on Sunday afternoon.

Puig's three-run homer capped a four-run sixth inning for the Dodgers, who are unbeaten (5-0-1) in their past six series against the Diamondbacks.

Beckett's day: Beckett is generally viewed exclusively as a salary dump throw-in component of the monster trade that also sent Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers. But he looked like more than that in shutting down the Diamondbacks for five innings on Sunday.

Beckett did not allow a run while giving up just one hit and two walks and striking out seven.

"Sharp, real sharp," Diamondbacks LF Mark Trumbo said. "It was a real quality outing for him. He located really well. He changed speeds. His curveball was working. His fastball played really well."

Montero tests Puig: Leading off the second inning, the Diamondbacks' Miguel Montero laced a hit down the right-field line, a ball that normally would go for a double.

Montero was thinking double the whole way, but Puig collected the ball, spun and threw a rocket to cut down Montero at second.

"Obviously, I'm not the fastest guy in the world," Montero said. "I'm pretty slow. He had to make a perfect throw. I don't know what kind of throw it was — I wasn't looking — but I guess it was a good throw.

View from the press box: The Dodgers don't look even close to firing on all cylinders — not only are they without Clayton Kershaw, but Hanley Ramirez doesn't look good at the plate and setup man Brian Wilson looks like he might be a liability. But they're so deep and so talented they're still a first-place team. Imagine what might happen if Kershaw comes back and returns to form. Then again, seven of the Dodgers' 12 wins have come against the Diamondbacks. We'll see how they look after playing some tougher opponents.

Up next

D-Backs at Cubs

When: 5:05 p.m., Monday.

TV/radio: FSAZ/KTAR-AM 620, KPKX-FM 98.7, KSUN-AM 1400

Pitchers: RHP Bronson Arroyo (1-1, 9.95) vs. Cubs LHP Travis Wood (0-2, 3.00).

Notable: Arroyo is coming off a miserable start against the Mets at Chase Field last week in which he gave up nine runs on 10 hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings. He has yet to pitch more than five innings and has just six strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. … Wood has not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his three starts, pitching at least 5 2/3 innings in each. Wood hasn't had much success against the Diamondbacks (6.33 ERA in five starts). Their current hitters are a combined 12 for 34 (.353) against Wood.

Projected starters

Tuesday: At Chicago, 5:05 p.m., Diamondbacks RHP Brandon McCarthy (0-3, 7.11) vs. Cubs RHP Jason Hammel (2-1, 3.05).

Wednesday: At Chicago, 11:20 a.m., Diamondbacks LHP Wade Miley (2-2, 4.35) vs. Cubs RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-2, 1.29).

Thursday: At Chicago, 11:20a.m., Diamondbacks TBD vs. Cubs TBD.