HOUSTON _ This is one bad hangover.
Two days after one of the most devastating losses in franchise history, the Dodgers stayed down, stared up, and watched the Houston Astros continue to swagger their way through this World Series.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, it became Texas-sized bad, the Dodgers following their Game 2 collapse with a Game 3 meltdown Friday night in a 5-3 loss at Minute Maid Park that took the Dodgers back to their dark side.
Remember that team that went 52-9 at one point this summer? Well, these were the guys that went 1-16.
This was starting pitcher Yu Darvish never getting comfortable, never acting engaged, and, frankly, barely even showing up.
This was the defense recording a new statistic that could be called a triple-bobble _ they committed one throwing error, one fielding error, and blew one big throw.
This was an offense that collected only four hits while still managing to strand a dozen runners and somehow botching it just as badly on the bases.
This was a late-August mess in the middle of baseball's biggest October stage, and now the Dodgers trail two games to one and must rely on playoff newbie Alex Wood to dig them out of the hole Saturday night against the Astros Charlie Morton in Game Four.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. Who could have thought it would happen like this? In the wake of their late-inning collapse in a series-tying Game 2 on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium, it was presumed the resilient Dodgers would recover and fight back in Game 3.
They didn't. They stayed flattened. It started with Darvish, who took the mound with a 2-0 record and 1.59 ERA in this postseason. But he had allowed six home runs in his last three postseason starts dating back to last season with Texas. And a day earlier, he gave a pregame news conference during which he seemed uncomfortable and uncertain.
Those who thought the moment might be too big for him, they were right. He allowed a double to George Springer on his fifth pitch of the game and never stopped reeling.
Yuli Gurriel led off the second inning with a home run into the left-field seats. Josh Reddick doubled. Evan Gattis walked. Dave Roberts came to the mound. It didn't help. Marwin Gonzalez singled off the left-field wall, scoring a run. Brian McCann singled to right, scoring another run. Alex Bregman hit a run-scoring fly ball, scoring the inning's fourth run.
By the time Darvish was mercifully removed, he had allowed four runs and six hits in less than two full innings while inducing just one swing-and-miss amid his 49 pitches. The Astros batted .600 against him. It was the shortest outing off his five-year career.
Darvish will be seeking as much as $175 million this winter in free agency. Here's guessing the Dodger could have trouble connecting those numbers with the ones he produced Friday night.
The four runs were all the Astros would need because the Dodgers could never find their legs, or their bats, or their arms, for that matter.
First, the Dodgers had trouble at the plate. After loading the bases with three consecutive walks to open the third, Corey Seager grounded to first baseman Guriel to start a nifty double play that scored a run but led to the early end of the inning. They blew other opportunities in similar ways throughout the rest of the game, with Cody Bellinger striking out four times and still looking for his first World Series hit.
Second, the Dodgers had problems on the bases. With one out in the fourth, Yasiel Puig hit what was appeared to a certain double down the third-base line and past the outstretched glove of Bregman. But as the ball rattled around in front of seats in shallow left field, Puig inexplicably stopped at first base before sprinting toward second, where he was thrown out by shortstop Correa.
Finally, the Dodgers had trouble in the field, with the Astros scoring their fifth run in the fifth inning when reliever Tony Watson threw wildly to first on a chopper by Gattis and Reddick scored all the way from first base on the play. The ball was picked up in right-field foul territory by the strong-armed Puig, but Puig could not throw Reddick out, as he threw the ball up the third-base line while Reddick perfectly slid around it.
The evening was epitomized in that fateful second inning when the Astros added huge insult to injury. After hitting his second-inning homer, while sitting in the dugout, the Cuban-born Gurriel openly mocked Darvish, lifting the corners of his eyes and appearing to mouth the Spanish word, "Chinito'' which, translated, means "Little Chinese.''
Not matter what Gurriel's motivation or intentions or even understanding, it came across as a racially offensive gesture and baseball needs to address it. A sport often criticized for its racial divisiveness cannot stand idle while one player mocks another player based on his heritage. If this were the inclusive NBA, Gurriel would be suspended immediately.
On this night, that was just one of the many indignities heaped upon the Dodgers, who need to have their memories erased. Wednesday night was a long time ago. They need to get up and moving. They need to do it now.
